Fade Into You
by Holz9364
Summary: Its 2005, Hermione Malfoy is a radio host for the WWN and Harry Potter is her head researcher. Hermione lives a perfectly idyllic life with Draco and their two children until Draco decides to run for Minister of Magic and Hermione is pushed back towards her on/off tumultous relationship with Harry. (M just in case) [Hermione/Draco & Harry/Hermione]
1. A Malfoy Monday Morning

**Fade Into You**

 **Chapter 1 - A Malfoy Monday Morning  
**

 _ **A/N: So, this is based on the American TV show 'Nashville'. It's quite loosely based, because I can't see Hermione as a singer, but she is in the entertainment business.**_

 _ **This is set in the year 2014, and it follows a NextGen timeline I use for all my fics (that's in respect of the Weasley's apart from Ron, and also excluding Harry & Hermione who are AU). The story in general is VERY AU POST-DEATHLY HALLOWS. But pretty much canon up to that point, give or take something happening in the tent between Harry & Hermione in the war.**_

 _ **I hope you enjoy it, and thanks for reading!**_

* * *

It is a typical Monday morning in the Malfoy household, it is positively hectic.

"Cassie! Are you awake yet?" Hermione calls up the stairs as she shoves her feet into her high heels.

A mumble from upstairs is her only reply.

Hermione rolls her eyes and rushes up the stairs, pushing open the door to her daughter's room and seeing her lying in bed, "Cassiopeia!" Hermione barks, "Your tutor will be here in 5 minutes! Do you want him to see you like this, hmm?"

In seconds Cassie is up and moving, and Hermione is smirking. This has only confirmed her suspicion that her 10-year-old daughter has a crush on her tutor. Cassie will be turning 11 at the start of August and starting Hogwarts this coming September, Hermione fears it is making the girl a little too bold.

"Scorp!" Hermione calls a little quieter now she is upstairs.

"Yeah, Mum?" Comes the answer from a room a few doors down.

"Mr. Gilbert is going to be here in 5 minutes, have you had breakfast?" Hermione asks, ducking into her room and grabbing her favourite cloak.

"Uh-huh," Scorpius says as he emerges from his room, fully dressed and wide awake, unlike his sister. He is 8 years old and still bright eyed and bushy tailed in the mornings.

"Good," Hermione says with a smile, "Now, have you seen your Father anywhere this morning?"

Scorpius nods as he makes a beeline for the stairs, "He's in the conservatory reading the paper."

"Of course he is," Hermione mutters as she follows her son down the stairs. She chuckles as Cassie darts past them into the bathroom. At the foot of the stairs Hermione strides through the kitchen into the conservatory where Draco looks quite relaxed sitting with his feet up reading the paper.

"Draco Malfoy," Hermione says with slight amusement.

He looks up and smirks, "Yes, dear?"

"Why do I always have to be the one to get those two up and moving while you sit and read your bloody newspaper?" Hermione asks with a shake of her head as she pulls on her cloak.

"You know fine well they don't listen to me," Draco says, putting his paper down and getting to his feet.

"That's because they think you're the fun, cool one, and I'm the mean one," Hermione says with a pointed look.

Draco smiles slightly but says nothing. Hermione knows that he can't bring himself to be harsh on the children because of his own upbringing. She knows the way his Father treated him has scarred him and because of that, he's a total pushover.

"Big day today," Draco says with a smile as he walks towards his wife, "It's the renewal news for the show, right?"

"Yep," Hermione says, exhaling a deep sigh, "I feel sick just thinking about it."

"Don't be nervous, I'm sure it will be fine," Draco says, pulling her in and wrapping his arms around her. He kisses her lightly on the forehead and rests his chin on her forehead. Neither of them have changed much over the years. Hermione's hair is curly and controlled now, rather than the bushy mess it had been when she was younger. Draco had stopped slicking his hair began years ago but his hairline is starting to recede, although he will never admit to that. They both have a few more bags under their eyes and wrinkles on their faces, laugh lines as Ginny likes to call them.

Hermione lets out a breath and pulls away, "I have to go or I'll be late," she says. already moving towards the door, "Remember the kids tutor is leaving early tonight so-"

"I've already cleared it with work, I'll be home early," Draco calls after her as she leaves the house.

Hermione thinks to herself as she heads to work. When Cassie was born Hermione had been adamant that she didn't want their children to be raised by house-elves. Draco had heartily agreed and they had never employed any help around the house.

She pulls herself out of her reverie as she appears in a dank alley in central London. She quickly walks down it and knocks out the 'secret' rhythm on a metal door on the side of the building. It opens and she walks into an equally miserable concrete corridor. At the end of the corridor is a desk, and at it is a woman who Hermione knows well.

"Morning Rebecca," Hermione says with a smile as she hands over her wand, "I'm not late, am I?"

Rebecca laughs as she scans Hermione's wand and clocks her in, "No, 5 minutes early," she says as she hands Hermione her wand back.

"Thank Merlin," Hermione sighs.

"Good luck," Rebecca says as Hermione begins to walk past her towards another metal door, "With the renewal!"

"Thanks!" Hermione calls back, opening the second metal door and emerging into the grand foyer of the official WWN building. This is where she works, this unassuming building where she had spent so many happy days. She has her own radio show, which basically happened by accident after the war. She interviews wizarding celebrities, occasionally hosts musical programs and often covers big news events. She loves it even though she's in the public eye. It works pretty well because people only hear her voice and it is her appearance that she has always been self-conscience about.

The foyer is almost as grand as the atrium in the ministry. It is decked out in black marble with gold furnishings. The golden elevators look like they are right out of the ministry itself. Hermione gets into one and smiles and says hello to a few colleagues she sees on a daily basis. But as the elevator begins its ascent towards the 6th floor where her office and studio are, her nerves kick in.

This renewal news is driving her crazy, her show has been going down in the ratings for the past few months and if they got the renewal this would be the 9th series. At the start they had said they'd be lucky to get two, and a couple of years ago they'd said it would be great if they could make it to 10 series, a good, rounded number.

 _BEEP._

Hermione takes a deep breath and steps out of the elevator. She holds her head up high as she walks into her office where her manager (and subsequently the manager of her show), Sebastian Goodwin, is waiting for her.

His face tells her everything she needs to know before he has even opened his mouth.

"The show hasn't been renewed," He says quietly, "They've axed it."

Hermione feels like every ounce of composure she has just vanishes as she sinks down into the sofa in her office, "Why?" She asks quietly.

"That new show that got launched? Chelsea Clifton's Lunch Time Bite? It's killing us in the ratings even though we're primetime Saturday night. They're giving her our spot," Sebastian says with a sigh, "You're older now Hermione, you're no longer a fresh talent...and Chelsea is."

Hermione is back on feet and she is fuming, "Fresh talent? I've done enough to capture the public, there is no way I'm stepping down and letting this become the end of my career!"

"Well for the moment I'm not saying step down," Sebastian reassures her, "What I am saying is the show is done which means for now you don't have anything to work on. Take some time out, spend it with the kids. I need to consider our options now."

Hermione nods, deflated once more, "We have to tell the crew."

"They're waiting in the studio," Sebastian says miserably.

Hermione nods and walks numbly towards the door, "Right," She says, opening it and walking across the hall to the studio she has spent so much time in over the last 15 or so years. Sebastian is at her heels but she feels so alone because she is the one who has to tell them, she is the reason they had failed.

They are all sitting around waiting for the news. The studio is essentially a large square shaped room decked out with comfortable armchairs and sofas. The people in the room are all looking at Hermione expectantly. She catches the gaze of one person in particular.

His green eyes lock onto hers and she swallows. He knows her well, probably better than her own Husband does. He knows what she is about to say, he can see it in her eyes.

"I'm so sorry to have to tell you all this," Hermione begins, her voice a little shaky, "But we have just found out that we didn't get the renewal news we were hoping for. The show has been cancelled."

There is a shocked silence and then all the chattering begins. Hermione is glad that everyone has stopped staring at her. Harry crosses the room practically silently and very quickly, "You okay?" he asks.

Hermione sighs, leaning against the doorway, "As okay as I can be considering I'm out of a job."

"Hey, we all are," Harry says with a shrug.

"I know, I'm sorry Harry," Hermione says apologetically.

Harry smiles slightly, "You put everything you had into this show, don't be sorry some arsehole up high has cancelled it to make way for some blonde bimbo."

"So you know about this Chelsea Clifton then, huh?" Hermione asks as they cross the hall into her office which is blissfully quiet and empty.

Harry nods, "I've seen her in the building. She can't be long out of Hogwarts, they're obviously trying to appeal to a younger audience."

"A younger audience?" Hermione asks in disbelief, "Harry, I'm only 34!"

"And she can't be older than 20," Harry says, "She appeals to the kids in Hogwarts who are all listening to the radio all the time these days. You're still popular Hermione, but to people our age who remember you and have listened to your show for years."

"Way to make me feel old Harry," Hermione says with a sad sort of smile, "My show has been axed because I'm 'dated', and my daughter is going to Hogwarts this year."

"Merlin, she's that age already?" Harry asks with a shake of his head, "Time flies, doesn't it?"

"Yes, it does," Hermione agrees, sitting down on her sofa and leaning her head back against the wall.

"Do you ever wish you could just go back?" Harry asks quietly. Hermione feels the sofa sink as he sits down next to her, "And do it all over again?"

"Sometimes," Hermione says honestly, without opening her eyes.

"What would you change?" Harry asks and Hermione can feel his gaze on her.

"Everything," Hermione says, opening her eyes and catching his gaze. His green eyes seem to sparkle when he is happy, or when he is upset. They just look dimmed at the moment, "But then sometimes I think nothing. I've got the kids, and I've got Draco."

Harry nods stiffly, "And you wouldn't want to change that."

Hermione just nods.

"What are you going to do now?"

"Go home," Hermione says honestly, "Seb says I should spend some time with the kids while he considers our options. What are you going to do?"

Harry shrugs, "I'm a researcher, I guess I'll have to find something to research," he says with a small smile.

Hermione smiles back and gets to her feet, "Want to grab lunch?"

"I, uh, can't," Harry says sheepishly.

"Why?"

"I sort of have an interview," Harry mutters.

"As in a job interview?" Hermione asks in disbelief.

"Look Hermione, this isn't a huge surprise. We've wondered if the show was gonna get renewed for a while, so yeah, I have a job interview."

"Where?" Hermione asks, dreading where this is going.

"On Chelsea Clifton's lunch time show" Harry says, guilt flooding his eyes.

Hermione scoffs, "You have fun working with all those teenagers then Harry," She says bitterly, "I've got to get home to my kids."

"Hermione-"

Hermione does not wait for Harry to finish that sentence. She leaves the office, slamming the door behind her as loudly as she possibly can.

* * *

Chelsea Clifton grins broadly at Harry when he walks into her office. Hermione's office is simple, decorated with family pictures and drawings the kids have done for her. Chelsea's office is decked out with sparkly sofas and armchairs, the walls are covered in pictures of her and various celebrities.

She rises from the desk to greet him and he has to fight the urge to raise an eyebrow. She is dressed in a black miniskirt, killer high heels and a pink blouse. Chelsea can only be 25 max, her white-blonde hair flows down her back in waves and her piercing blue eyes study Harry carefully.

"I'm honoured to meet _the_ Harry Potter," Chelsea says in a thick Irish accent, she holds out her hand to him.

Harry smiles weakly and shakes it, " _The_ Harry Potter is just a researcher."

Chelsea smiles, "Take a seat, Harry. Can I call you that?"

"Sure," Harry says, sitting down across from her.

"I doubt I'd call you just a researcher. You have an excellent talent for research, you could do anything you want to, not just in the entertainment business. Why don't you do Potions research or Department of Mysteries work?" Chelsea asks curiously. Harry has to admit; she is smarter than he had originally thought.

"Well, I had some problems," Harry says, "And when I got over them my friend gave me a job on her show."

"That was years ago, Harry," Chelsea says, leaning forward on her desk, "You didn't have to stay in that show for years. So why did you?"

"That's none of your business," Harry said shortly.

Chelsea smiles knowingly, "There are more women in the world than Hermione Granger you know."

Harry swallows. Hermione still goes by her maiden name even though she has been married for years now. She hadn't want to change it because it was how she was known in the entertainment world.

Chelsea got up from her chair and strutted around the desk. She sat on the edge of the desk, very close to Harry. "I can show you exactly what another woman can offer you, if you want," She says suggestively.

Harry is on his feet in a flash, "You're not a woman," he says coolly, "You're a girl, and frankly if that's the way you treat your employee's I don't think I want to be one of them."

Leaving Chelsea standing in her office in shock Harry swiftly leaves and stalks down the corridor into the nearest elevator.

* * *

"Mum!"

Hermione smiles as Scorpius rushes up to her and hugs her when she walks into the house around lunchtime.

"Are you home for lunch, Mrs Malfoy?" Josh Gilbert, the kids tutor asks.

"No," Hermione replies with a sad sort of smile, "I'm home early Josh, you can go home. Don't worry, you'll still get a full day's pay."

Josh nods and goes to collect his things. Cassie walks out of the study into the entrance hall. Their house is grand but it is no Malfoy Manor. Hermione had not had many 'condition' when she and Draco had agreed to marry. She had told him outright that she would never live in Malfoy Manor though. Narcissa lives there with her army of house-elves to keep her company and Hermione and Draco live in a house that Draco had built for himself after the war. It was small and homely; Hermione loves the house.

"Why are you home so early?" Cassie asks.

Hermione smiles sadly at her daughter. She should have known that Cassie would spot something straight away, the girl was incredibly perceptive, "Because the radio show didn't get renewed sweetheart. I don't have a job at the moment, not until Uncle Seb finds me a new one."

Cassie frowns, "So does that mean Mr. Gilbert won't be coming around?"

"No, he will be," Hermione says with a chuckle, "You still need an education but I'll be around more too. That's good though isn't it? I've not been around enough lately."

Cassie nods thoughtfully and Scorpius says, "It's great Mum!"

"So since I'm here and Mr. Gilbert is going home," Hermione says, "Who wants to go out and get ice cream?"

"Mum, it's March!" Cassie exclaims.

Hermione scoffs, "It's not too cold outside. If you're good, we might even go shopping in Diagon Alley…"

* * *

When Draco walks through the front door of his home he hears laughter. He smiles as he walks into the living room, expecting to find the kids with their tutor. Instead he finds Hermione sitting with them while they listen to a kids show on the radio.

"Hey," Draco says in surprise as he stands in the doorway.

"Hey," Hermione says with a smile.

"Aren't you supposed to be on a late tonight?"

"No," Hermione says, untangling herself from Scorpius and leaving the living room, "I don't have a job at the moment."

Draco's eyes widen, "You didn't renewed?" He asks as they stand in the kitchen together.

Hermione shakes her head, "The show got cancelled so I'm out of a job, and _Harry_ has an interview with Chelsea Clifton."

"The kid who used her Daddy's power to land herself a radio show?" Draco asks with a raised eyebrow.

"That's the one," Hermione says, sitting down on a barstool.

"I thought Potter had more taste," Draco remarks.

Hermione rolls her eyes, "Don't start this. Look Draco, the point is that I'm out of a job for the moment. Seb is trying to figure something out but that could take time."

"Well in that case, maybe this is a good time to tell you something I've been keeping quiet for a little while," Draco says, sitting down next to her.

Instantly Hermione is worried, "What have you done?"

"I haven't done anything," Draco says in amusement, "You know I like working in the Ministers Office, but I'm ambitious Hermione and it would mean a huge pay rise-"

"No way," Hermione says darkly, "You cannot be thinking of running for Minister of Magic."

"Why are you so against the idea?" Draco asks in an angry undertone so as not to worry the kids.

"Because I don't think the power will treat you well!" Hermione says hotly, "You don't cope well with power Draco, you let it get to your head."

"I won't this time," Draco assures her, "And the pay rise will help at the moment with you out of a job."

Hermione can't deny that he's right about that but she is still incredibly wary of the idea, "Whose idea was this anyway? Oh, let me guess, your Mothers?"

Draco shoots her a glare, "Yes, it was my Mother's idea. But this is her world Hermione, she understands it and she knows I'll be a good Minister-"

"Of course she says that!" Hermione hisses under her breath, "She's your Mother!"

"And you're my wife!" Draco remarks, "You should support me. I supported you in your radio show, I even supported you when you hired Potter after all that happened!"

"Grudgingly," Hermione says, narrowing her eyes at him.

"I still supported you," Draco says coolly, "I'm doing this, Hermione. But it would be nice if you believed in me for once."

Hermione opens her mouth but finds that no words seem to want to come out. She sighs and shuts it without uttering a single word.

Draco's grey eyes look into hers, "I've put my career on hold since Cassie came along. I've let you have your career so I can be around for the kids. You've had a really good run Hermione, isn't it my turn?"

Hermione nods weakly. She can't say no, she can't tell him that he can't have a career when he has always put her career first. He has been a doting Father and he has put his dreams on hold for her, she knows that he has. So she simply says, "Yes."

"It won't go to my head," Draco assures her, but he can tell from the look on Hermione's face that she doesn't believe that for one second.

"I'm not happy about it," Hermione tells him with a sigh, "But I'll do it, I'll support you."

"I know you hate politics, but it will be good for us and for the kids, I promise," Draco says, gently gripping her shoulder.

Hermione nods numbly. She has now been designated the role of housewife while her Husband runs for the office of Minister for Magic. She loves her children more than anything else in the world but she has never been good at sitting around twiddling her thumbs.

* * *

The following month drags by. Hermione attends press releases with Draco, she talks to the Prophet about him, she appears on the radio to discuss how happy she is that he is finally taking the opportunity to run for Minister. The whole thing is tedious and pointless because she fails to see how anyone could vote a former Death Eater for Minister. She puts on her best face and forces her way through it anyway, to support him like he has supported her for all of these years. She knows that she owes him that, as much as she hates to keep spewing this bullshit to the media.

March becomes April and the daffodils in Hermione's garden begin to sprout. She wastes time pottering around outside, trying to avoid the April showers that are growing more common. She misses the flurry of press releases and media attention because without it she finds that she is bored senseless. She does love being around for the kids, especially because Cassie is going to Hogwarts this year. But the trouble is, the children spent the majority of the day with their tutor and Hermione is seriously sick of the house and the garden. It's the first time she has really experienced anything akin to cabin fever.

It is for this reason that Hermione decides, on a particularly dry day towards the end of April, to venture out into Diagon Alley alone. All she has planned to do is browse the alley without children there to ask for things every 5 minutes. The morning shower has passed, the sun is warm and she feels slightly less fed up than she has done for the rest of the month. She is so lost in thought that she doesn't pay attention to anything walking down the alley until she walks directly into something, or rather _someone_.

"Hermione!"

Hermione's head snaps up, "Oh, hey Harry," she says somewhat awkwardly.

They have not spoken since their argument in her office. Ever since Hermione had married Draco and had Cassie and Scorpius, she hadn't been as close with her childhood friends. Ron is an Auror who is married with four hyperactive children, Harry saw him on a weekly basis but Hermione only saw her friend every few months these days. It had always been easier for Hermione to stay in contact with Harry because they both work in the entertainment business. However, Draco still doesn't like Harry and he has never pretended to either.

"How are you?" Harry asks as they step to one side of the alley so they do not get in people's way.

"I'm okay," Hermione lies.

Harry smiles slightly, "Staying at home is driving you crazy, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Hermione admits, "I hate doing nothing. Don't get me wrong, it's great that I'm home with the kids but I'm not cut out for being a housewife."

"You're restless, Hermione," Harry chuckles, "You always have been."

"I guess so," Hermione says awkwardly, "How is Chelsea Clifton's show treating you by the way?"

"Oh, it isn't," Harry replies offhandedly.

"You didn't pass the interview?" Hermione asks in surprise, "I know you're not _young_ per say, but surely your experience-"

"No, I could have gotten the job," Harry says honestly, "But she tried to seduce me. I guess I just didn't like the sound of that work environment."

Hermione is taken aback, "She tried to seduce you? What is she, 19?"

"21 apparently," Harry says, shoving his hands into his robes pockets, "So I'm out of a job now too. I don't need one mind you, I have more money than I know what to do with. I just feel like I'm moping around doing nothing all the time."

"I know that feeling," Hermione admits.

"So nothing from Seb then?"

Hermione shakes her head, "He did say it might take a couple of months."

Harry nods, "Well if you get anything, owl me."

Hermione simply nods and Harry adds, "If you're not too busy with your Husband that is. I saw that he's running for Minister."

"Yeah," Hermione say, shifting from foot to foot. She hates feeling this awkward around Harry, they have known each other forever, it just isn't right.

"No offence, but I'll be backing his opponent," Harry says, that opponent was Percy Weasley.

"I would be too if Draco hadn't decided to do this. But I didn't have a choice, his Mother talked him into it and he guilt-tripped me saying he'd put his career on hold for the kids and my career," Hermione says quietly, "I could hardly say no after that, could I?"

"He's still the slimy Slytherin git he always was then," Harry says darkly.

Hermione shoots her friend a glare, "Don't."

Harry shrugs, "I'm just saying."

"Well don't just say,'" Hermione says quietly. She knows that Harry's vote _does_ count. He is on the Wizengamot, and in this not-quite democracy of a world, it was the members of the Wizengamot who elected the new Minister for Magic.

"As long as he doesn't get involved in all of the dirty crap his Father was involved in," Harry says quietly, "The bribes and all of that because his Mother is a piece of work. You know if he does Ron will have to arrest him."

"He won't," Hermione says under her breath, "Now, I need to go. I have shopping to do."

Harry nods stiffly and on that slightly awkward note, they part ways.

* * *

When Hermione gets home later that afternoon Sebastian Goodwin is sitting in her kitchen drinking tea. She smiles slightly, "You look quite at home."

"The kids tutor let me in," Sebastian says with a warm smile.

"Please tell me you have good news," Hermione says, Merlin she sounds desperate.

"I have news, it's not exactly good though…" Sebastian says as he shoots her a shifty glance.

Hermione rolls her eyes, "Come on Seb, what is it?"

"Well you have options, two to be precise. Option number 1 is that you cover the Quidditch World Cup. The broadcasters like you covering news and sports events," Sebastian begins.

"Well that's okay, what's wrong-"

"They want you to be a co-host," Sebastian says quickly.

"With who?" Hermione asks, narrowing her eyes at her manager.

"Chelsea Clifton," Sebastian replies.

Hermione scoffs, "No way. What's the second option?"

"I somehow doubt you're going to like it anymore," Sebastian admits.

"Just tell me it," Hermione says impatiently.

"A new radio show, every Friday night at 6pm," Sebastian says, "Harking back to the old days...with you and Harry co-hosting it."

Hermione is silent for a moment, "Me and Harry?"

"It could work Hermione. People liked it, you and Harry had a natural chemistry-"

"Of course we did!" Hermione snaps, "We were in love! We can hardly do that now, I'm married, I have children!"

"It's that or the Quidditch World Cup with Chelsea. I'm sorry Hermione, but there really are no other options," Sebastian says quietly.

Hermione sighs and lets her head fall into her hands, "Fine, I'll talk to Draco about this and let you know either way what I'm doing."

Sebastian nods sympathetically, "Good luck."

* * *

By the time Draco gets home from work it is late and Cassie and Scorpius are both in bed. He jumps when he sees Hermione sitting in the living room waiting for him.

"You waited up?"

Hermione nods, watching him carefully as he takes his cloak off and hangs it up in the hall.

"What's wrong Hermione?" Draco asks, instantly sensing she is uneasy.

"Sebastian came by today and made me a couple of career offers," Hermione says.

"That's good," Draco says, sitting down on the armchair opposite her, "But I thought you were going to give it a rest for a while so I could run for Minister?"

"I can't completely give it up," Hermione says honestly, "I can't be a full-time Mother and housewife Draco. You know I love the kids, but I'm not cut out for staying at home all the time."

Draco sighs, "I know."

"We can both have our careers and have time with the kids," Hermione promises, "We've balanced it for years, and Cassie will be at Hogwarts soon."

"That makes it all the worse," Draco says quietly, "Don't you want to spend time with her while you can?"

"Of course I do, but I have to take the offers when I get them," Hermione says simply.

"I always knew you were ambitious," Draco says with a slight smile, "And I always thought you would put your career first, but you have balanced it out well with family life."

"I guess that's the Slytherin side of me," Hermione says honestly, "I'll never be content to just sit at home."

Draco nods, "So what are the offers?"

"Well, the first offer is to work on the Quidditch world cup with that new girl Chelsea Clifton, the one who stole my shows spot," Hermione says a little bitterly.

"So I'm guessing you're against that option?" Draco asks in amusement.

Hermione nods, "Extremely, it would take me away from the kids for long periods of time too. I'd be far away, all over the world."

Draco nods, "So what are the other offers?"

"There only is one other offer," Hermione says cautiously, "It's rekindling the old show, with the co-presenting aspect."

"No," Draco says quietly, "You can't work with him again, Hermione."

"I know it's not ideal, Draco, but-"

"No!" Draco snaps. Hermione catches his eye and swallows. His grey eyes are not icy, they are not warm either, they are on fire, "Do you remember the mess you were in when I found you, Hermione? Do you remember how much he had _devastated_ you?"

Hermione feels the tears she has been holding back threatening to spill as Draco walks towards her, "Because I do! I remember building you up from the start, you had no self-esteem, you had nothing. You gave up everything for him, you lost your family, you were tortured. You gave your life to him, and all he did was try to throw his away!"

Draco stands inches away from her, his chest heaving and his breath ragged, "And you have no idea how much it hurt seeing him do that but you were in love with him so what was I supposed to do?"

"I understand," Hermione whispers as the tears spilled down her cheeks, "I do Draco, but it's different this time he's-"

"He's sober?" Draco spits, "He was sober 4 times before that 5th time you chucked him into St. Mungo's Hermione. What makes you think he won't go back to his old ways?"

"It's different this time because of you, Draco," Hermione says, her voice strained with emotion, "I'm married, Harry and I-"

"I don't know what you and him are," Draco says quietly, tearing his eyes away from Hermione, "Because you can't seem to shut him out of our lives. He's been here at our kid's birthdays, and on Christmas every damn year!"

"We went through so much, I couldn't just shut him out," Hermione says weakly, this was one old argument that they hadn't had for years and years all coming back up again.

Draco shakes his head angrily, "You can't do this show, Hermione. You know what will happen if you do, you know it will just start all over again and I pulled you from the brink of destruction the first time. But I can't do that again."

Hermione fixes him with a long, cold look, "Draco, I know you did a lot for me. I know you saved me from…a lot. But I can handle myself and I am telling you Harry is different now, _I_ am different now."

"But whatever is between you isn't different," Draco says coolly, "And I know you keep him at arm's length for obvious reasons, but he cannot come back into our lives Hermione. You know that."

"Draco, it's a radio show," Hermione says, trying to control her voice, "It's business and nothing more. I won't let it become anything more, all these years I've been faithful to you. I _have_ kept him at arm's length, but I need to keep him as a friend. Please, trust me on this one."

"Is anything I say going to convince you otherwise?" Draco asks angrily.

"Probably not," Hermione admits, "I know Harry, and I know things will be fine. I'm secure enough in our relationship to know that I won't cheat on you!"

Draco scoffs and shakes his head.

"It would be right here in London, and it would be one night a week, I'd have plenty of time for the kids," Hermione adds, "There would be some promotion, but it's a damn sight better than the world cup. I could even help you promote yourself for Minister, I'd have the time."

Draco shakes his head in disbelief, "Are you sure you weren't a hat-stall destined for Slytherin?" he asks angrily.

"Whats that supposed to mean?" Hermione asks hotly.

"It means you are a sneaky, manipulative bitch sometimes," Draco says under his breath, "You hate politics, you hate the idea of me becoming Minister! But you want to do this show with Potter so badly that you are offering to help promote me!"

"I want you to be happy," Hermione says, "And you aren't happy right now. If becoming Minister will make you happy, then yes I'll help."

"All for your own gain at the end of the day though," Draco says, he is now pacing the room, "Do you think it's been easy for me all of these years? I love you Hermione, but the baggage that has come with that…having Potter and Weasley at my house every Christmas, having to act like I _like_ them. I've changed my world for you."

"And I haven't changed mine for you?" Hermione asks in disbelief, "Our children have a private tutor, they are taught about their family history and its _purity_. They got bullied when we sent them to an ordinary tutor because their Mother is a Mudblood! Marrying you hasn't exactly made my life easy Draco."

"At least I don't get drunk and beat you up," Draco says coolly, "Would that have been a better life?"

"That's not what I said," Hermione says, tears burning in her eyes, "I love you Draco, but none of this has been easy on me either. We've both had to change our entire lives for each other. There are just some parts neither of us could let go of, like Harry and Ron for me, and your Mother for you."

Draco blows out a breath, "I understand Hermione, and I won't ever tell you that you can't do something. If you want to do this show, then do it but I'm saying now that I don't think it's a good idea."

"It's going to be fine," Hermione says confidently, "I'll prove it."

Draco doesn't look convinced but he nods, "If you're serious about this promotion work then you can give me a slot on your show, to talk about running for Minister."

Hermione nods with a weak smile, "You can be our first guest," She promises, crossing the room and wrapping her arms around him, "And I'm sorry it had to come to this."

"So am I," Draco says quietly, so quietly that Hermione doesn't even hear it.

 **TBC :)  
**

 **A/N: So opinions? What do you guys think? I like feedback! :D**


	2. The Plot Thickens

**Fade Into You**

 **Chapter 2 - The Plot Thickens  
**

It is the 21st century and Hermione is a Muggle-born. She had quickly learned that once you were out of Hogwarts mobile phones were a good idea so she had equipped both Harry and Ron with one for keeping in touch. Ron barely used his, he preferred owling and floo calls but Harry realised that phones were much faster and much more practical.

Hermione had texted him asking if they could talk and now she sat on a bench in St. James Park in London, awaiting his arrival.

"Hey, Hermione," Harry says cheerfully as he sits down next to her and hands her a Starbucks coffee.

"Thanks," Hermione says with a smile.

"Whats up?" Harry asks.

"I sort of have a job offer for you," Hermione admits sheepishly.

Harry raises an eyebrow at her, "I thought you didn't have a job at the moment."

Hermione shakes her head, "I don't...it's a job offer for both of us."

"Together?" Harry asks in surprise.

Hermione nods, watching Harry warily as she says, "Seb says there is demand for the old show, with the co-hosting aspect."

"He wants us to co-host again?" Harry asks, looking up and catching her eye, "Doing the same show?"

"Well it would have to be modernised a little but it would be the same chat show concept," Hermione says, watching Harry carefully for his reaction, "What do you think?"

"I think it's a great idea," Harry says, "I loved doing that show, best time of my career. I'm surprised you agreed to it though."

Hermione detects the hint of bitterness in his voice but ignores it, "I need a job, Harry. And you aren't a nightmare to work with like the other offer."

"Who is the other offer, Chelsea Clifton?" Harry asks with a raised eyebrow.

Hermione nods, "The Quidditch World Cup with Chelsea Clifton. Sounds like a terrible nightmare."

Harry snorts, "Well it's probably not the best thing anyway is it? The QWC would take you all over the world."

"Exactly, and I want to be around for Cassie before she goes to Hogwarts," Hermione agrees.

"Well don't worry about me, I'm definitely up for bringing back the show. How did you get Malfoy to agree to it?" Harry asks, he is trying very hard not to sound bitter but he has failed as far as Hermione is concerned.

"Why do you two have to be so bitter about each other?" Hermione asks with a sigh, "He isn't happy about it, did you expect him to be?"

"Well you're not exactly thrilled that the gits running for Minister," Harry remarks.

Hermione glares at him, "Harry, he's my Husband."

Harry just shakes his head, "Draco Malfoy is one area we'll never agree on Hermione. Let's just make a conscience effort to not talk about him unless we have to, for the sake of the show."

"No, I won't not talk about him just because it annoys you," Hermione says hotly, "And besides, hes our first guest on the show."

"Everything comes with a price with you, doesn't it?" Harry asks, partly amused and partly exasperated, "Are you sure you weren't a hat-stall?"

"You know I was a hat-stall," Hermione says irritably, "But not for Slytherin like Draco seems to think, for Ravenclaw."

"Well you've got plenty of Slytherin qualities," Harry says as he gets to his feet, "You're pretty good at having people wrapped around your finger so they will do exactly what you what. It doesn't bother me, you've had me hooked for years. But just be warned, it might rub some people up the wrong way."

Hermione rolls her eyes, "I'm not doing anything of the sort. I just want a job and this is the best offer so let's just try to put the past behind us."

"I can if you can," Harry says, holding out his hand to her.

Hermione nods and shakes his hand, "We've got a practice run tomorrow, and then if that goes well we'll record the first episode next week."

"Alright, what time?" Harry asks.

"2pm," Hermione replies.

"See you there then," Harry says with a smile as he turns and walks away. Hermione is left in his wake, thinking about everything that is happening in her life.

Her relationship with Harry is rocky, it has been for years and they have both just learned to dance around each other in that way. Harry would always be her best friend but things were different to the way they used to be, partly down to things that had happened in the past and mostly down to Hermione's marriage to Draco.

* * *

"Cassie get dressed, your tutor will be here in 10 minutes!" Hermione calls, knocking on her daughter's bedroom door as she hurries down the stairs into the kitchen.

"Morning love," She says to Draco as she grabs a bit of toast off of his plate.

"You're in a hurry this morning," Draco says, looking up from the prophet.

"It's the test run for the show," Hermione says in-between mouthfuls, "Which means it's a busy day getting things set up. Don't you have your first debate with Percy today?"

"Yes," Draco says, "Although I don't envisage it being hard to win."

"Don't get overly confident, Percy is a fantastic politician and he has been Minister for the last 4 years. People like him," Hermione says.

"Well people like change and he hasn't exactly done anything innovative in his time in office," Draco says.

"I think he has," Hermione says simply, "But then I don't know anything about politics, right?"

Draco rolls his eyes, "It's too early in the morning to fight."

"We're not fighting," Hermione says, "We're debating, think of it as practice. Anyway, I need to get going, I'll probably be late tonight so can you get the kids dinner sorted?"

Draco nods, "Of course I will."

"Good luck with the debate," Hermione says.

"Good luck with the show," Draco says in response.

Hermione sighs, she can tell he still isn't happy about the whole situation, "See you tonight," she says as she leaves the house and apparates to the alley where the entrance to the WWN is. As usual she makes her way in, gets her wand checked and jumps into the elevator where she bumps into none other than Harry.

"Morning," He says, handing her a cardboard cup of coffee.

Hermione laughs, "Thanks, I need it. Why are you in so early? I always did the set up when we used to do the show, you just showed up 5 minutes before we went on air."

"I'm turning over a new leaf," Harry says honestly, "I actually want to help set up these days. I took a lot for granted back then, the show…you...I won't be doing that this time."

"Well I appreciate your help," Hermione says as the elevator comes to a stop and they step out onto their floor. They would have the same studio and the same people working on the show so this didn't feel particularly uncomfortable or scary yet.

* * *

"Are you ready, Draco?"

"I'm fine, Mother," Draco says firmly, "Like I told Hermione earlier, I don't feel like this Weasley is a particularly difficult opponent."

"Never underestimate your opponent, it is the worst thing you can do," Narcissa warns her son, "Just go in there and do what we spoke of and things will be fine."

Draco nods and smiles at his Mother before walking into the debating room.

"Minister Weasley," Draco says politely as he holds out his hand to Percy.

Percy responds just as politely, "Hello Mr Malfoy," He says, taking Draco's hand and shaking it "I look forward to our debate today."

"As do I," Draco says with a false smile. He then takes his seat opposite Percy in the debating room. There are reporters in the audience with quick-quotes quills and photographers ready to capture the action.

They go through the motions and then the debate begins. Percy first highlights his reasons for running as Minister and talks of how he will keep up the good standard he has set in the past 4 years if he is elected.

When it is finally Draco's turn to speak he stands and begins, "The reason I am running for Minister is because I truly think I can make the wizarding world a better place. I agree with Minister Weasley, he has set a good standard for a new Minister but all of the hard work he did, was done is 4 years ago. Since his first year in office he has comfortably sat on the reforms he made and has not made any improvements to them or headed any further innovations. If I am elected I will bring new innovations to the wizarding world, I will rearrange the Ministers offices finances and direct more at the most important parts of our society, such as Hogwarts and St. Mungo's. I will spend less money on the running of the Ministry and dedicate that money to our essential services."

With his short speech finished he says, "I will now take questions."

"What sort of innovations do you speak of, Mr. Malfoy?" Rita Skeeter asks.

"One of the innovations I would like to put in place is to provide muggle-borns with the news that they are magical as early as possible and offer them the same basic education wizarding children get before their years at Hogwarts. I believe this would do much to take away the class divide and the prejudice towards Muggle-borns if they were equipped with the same education as wizarding children," Draco says firmly.

"As a pureblood with far from a clean record in the Second Wizarding War, why would you want to partake in something like that?" Another reporter asks, one he recognises as Parvati Patil.

"My wife, as many of you well know, is a muggle-born. Thus my children are not purebloods. I do not care about blood purity in the way it was believed during the war, my children were bullied when they went to a public tutoring session for having a muggle-born Mother. I think this is incredibly wrong and more needs to be done to mend this divide in our society," Draco answers.

There are nods and murmurs in the audience. Draco answers a few more questions before lunch break is called. He nods politely at Percy and steps off of the small stage they are sitting on. As he is walking in the direction of his Mother he bumps into someone he hasn't seen in a long time.

"Draco! I can't believe you're running for Minister for Magic!"

Draco has to do a double-take at the woman who has just walked up to him. She is tall and dressed in smart black robes, she has long, dark brown hair and she is wearing far less make-up than he remembered her doing in the days he had known her.

"Pansy!"

"I know, I'm not exactly recognisable," Pansy laughs, "I don't look much like I used to."

"No, you don't," Draco admits.

Pansy smiles, "Less make-up, more glamour charms," She jokes.

Draco chuckles, "What are you doing here?"

"My husband wanted to know the results of the debate but hes out of the country working so he asked me to come for him," Pansy says, still smiling.

"Who did you marry?" Draco asks, he really hasn't seen Pansy for a long time. Since he had married Hermione in fact. That decision had taken him right out of his old pureblood social circle so he did not keep in touch with many of the people he had been at school with.

"Oh, Marcus Greenwood," Pansy says offhandedly, "I doubt you would know him, he had left Hogwarts before we even started."

"Older man huh?" Draco asks as they walk into the break room together to grab some coffee.

"Yeah," Pansy admits, "We met a few years back at a charity event."

"Any kids?" Draco asks, pouring himself a coffee.

"No," Pansy says, sounding a little disappointed, "But you have children, don't you?"

"A daughter and a son," Draco says proudly, "Cassiopeia and Scorpius."

"Lovely names," Pansy says with a smile as they stand to one side while drinking their coffee, "I couldn't believe it when the press said you were marrying Hermione Granger. It all happened very quickly."

Draco smiles slightly, "I don't think anyone could believe it, but yes things did all happen very quickly."

"Was she pregnant?" Pansy asks with a raised eyebrow.

Draco simply nods, "It's not exactly a secret. Our daughter's date of birth says it all really, but regardless of what the press say, I did marry her for love."

"You're lucky your Father wasn't alive to see that," Pansy remarks.

"I think I'd have been disowned," Draco agrees, "Luckily my Mother is more open-minded, and forgiving."

"Is she the one who convinced you to run for Minister?" Pansy asks.

Draco nodded, "She is, I had wanted to do it for a while but Hermione didn't like the idea. She thought the power would go to my head."

Pansy scoffs, "Of course it won't. You'll be a fantastic Minister, you're doing a great job worming your way in with the muggle-borns and half-bloods through your wife."

"I need to try and worm my way back into the pureblood circle too," Draco admits, "They basically exiled me after my marriage to Hermione. But the Wizengamot is split these days as you well know, to become Minister I'll need the votes of the purebloods as well as the half-bloods."

"Well you will get the half-bloods on your side if you keep talking about muggle-born reforms," Pansy says, "And if you like I'll join your campaign and help you out on the pureblood side?"

"You'd do that?" Draco asks.

"Of course I would, you're my friend Draco," Pansy says with a smile, "And I'd love to see you as Minister."

Draco smiled and says, "Well I'll accept that offer but we'll need to be careful given whats happened in the past."

Pansy nods, "I'll be careful, I promise."

"Thanks Pansy," Draco says as they are called back into the debating room, "I really appreciate it."

* * *

"Are you two ready in there?"

Hermione smiles at Sebastian through the glass wall of the studio, "We're good for a first rehearsal."

"Alright, we aren't recording," Sebastian says, "And I'm off to get coffee for the inevitable freak-out you'll have when you realise how much you've forgotten about co-hosting."

Hermione rolls her eyes as Sebastian leaves the little observation room. She turns to Harry who is in an armchair at a diagonal angle, apart from that and a small table with some papers on it, the tiny room is empty

"Alright so we'll start by opening the show like we used to. Do you remember?" Hermione asks, feeling a little nervous even though they aren't on air.

Harry nods with a comforting smile, "Good evening and welcome to Weekly Bite, the show where myself, Harry Potter, and my co-host, Hermione Granger give you the low-down on the events of the week."

"That's the news, the music and of course the gossip," Hermione says, smiling at Harry about how natural it felt, "And staying true to the original show, there will of course be a challenge for Harry and I to complete. As always at the end of the series we will see which one of us has won the most challenges and therefore won the series."

"And as always I will beat Hermione and she will huff," Harry adds with a smirk.

"I don't think so," Hermione says in amusement, "I have a good feeling about this series."

"Well we will see," Harry says, picking up a piece of parchment and handing one to Hermione, it is their basic transcript with the stories from the week.

"Yes, we will," Hermione says, turning her attention to the transcript, "But back to the whole reason for this show, this weeks round up of events. As we are now midway through April plans for this year's Memorial Day are well under way. Memorial day is of course the 2nd of May and commemorates all wars involving wizards, witches and magical creatures."

"Something which you campaigned for, Hermione," Harry adds, this is the style of the show, informal and cosy.

"I did, and I am more than happy to announce that I will be speaking at this year's Memorial Day about the recent improvements in rights for magical creatures," Hermione says with a smile.

"Something the current Minister for Magic had quite a hand in," Harry says sneakily.

"Yes but my Husband, Draco Malfoy, who you may know is running for Minister, has plenty of ideas about reform for magical creatures," Hermione says, "And he will be with us a little bit later to talk about his campaign."

"Yes, he will be," Harry says diplomatically, "But before that we have our weekly gossip round up. Whats real and whats complete nonsense? What do you think Hermione? The biggest story this week is of course the rumoured affair between Padma Boot and Blaise Zabini."

"I don't think that's true," Hermione says frankly, "I know Padma and I know how happy she and Terry are. I think it's just nonsense sparked by the fact she and Blaise Zabini were working on the same case."

"Padma and Blaise both being lawyers after all," Harry agrees with a nod, "I side with you here, I don't think it is at all true."

"And the other story that has been in the news a lot this week is the true love article written in the prophet by an anonymous writer," Hermione says.

"Indeed," Harry says, "It has seemed controversial to some because of its contents."

"Yes, the article is one person's take on true love. She claims to have found a definitive way of proving true love. According to her study, the person you think of when you wake up in the morning, dream about the most often and who knows you best is your true love."

Harry nodded, "But of course the person you are likely to think of in the morning first is the person you wake up next to and you dream about the people you see the most often. So once you've met somebody how do you know it's still true love years down the line going by this authors theory?"

"Well when you marry someone you do it because you love them and that doesn't often change," Hermione says, "So maybe you don't just think of them first thing in the morning because they are there, maybe it's still a subconscious notion."

"Well according to this article, it not only defines true love but soulmates," Harry says, consulting his parchment and getting back on track, "The author defines a soulmate as your best friend but more. They are the one person that knows you better than anybody else and when you are with them you're a better person because they inspire you."

Hermione swallows. She knows what Harry is doing. He is staring at her as he speaks as if to say, 'come on, you know it's me,' but she pushes that thought away and continues, "The author also says your soulmate is someone you will carry with you forever. They are the person who knew you and accepted you and believed in you when no one else did or when no one else would."

"Sort of like the one person who has never abandoned you," Harry says with a pointed look at Hermione, "Who has stuck by you through everything. Who you need in your life no matter what, right?"

"I suppose so," Hermione says stoically, "But the author finishes by saying your soulmate is the person you will always love, no matter what happens, nothing can change the fact that you love them."

"And whats your take on that, Hermione?" Harry asks calmly, "Is your Husband your soulmate?"

Hermione swallows again and takes a moment to compose her thoughts. Draco isn't her best friend, Harry is but Harry hasn't always inspired her to be a better person. When they were young he inspired her, he taught her how to be brave, he taught her how to withstand the storm. When the war came to its bloody end, Harry lost control of his life. He had fallen into the trap of taking comfort in a bottle, he had not inspired her when he had been a drunken idiot.

Things are different now though, and Hermione had stuck by Harry's side through all of that because she loved him, because she had wanted him to get better. But time and time again he had come out of St. Mungo's appearing fine and then the second something had reminded him of the war he had started drinking again. He had barely been able to look at Teddy without feeling guilty and he hadn't been in the little boy's life until he was about 5 years old.

Despite it all though, Hermione has always believed in Harry, she had never abandoned him as Ron had and even though he showed no signs of stopping drinking she had always believed that he would stop one day until she and Draco met and reconciled.

" _Granger!"_

 _Hermione inwardly rolls her eyes as she recognises the voice. She turns around from where she is standing by the banks of the River Ness and sees him walking towards her smiling. She expects the worst, a grilling of some sort._

" _Malfoy," She says politely._

" _What brings you to Scotland?" Draco asks with a smile, leaning against the railing and looking out over the river._

 _Hermione frowns, "Business, you?"_

" _Business too," Draco says with a nod, "How are you?"_

" _I'm fine," Hermione says, her frown deepening, "Look I don't know what your game is here but-"_

" _There is no game," Draco says, "The war is over. My Father is dead, my Mother and I can finally relax now he isn't looking over our shoulders anymore."_

 _Hermione is taken aback by his honesty, "I'm sorry about your Father's death."_

" _Don't be," Draco says a little bitterly, "I guess some time alone in that cell in Azkaban got him feeling guilty about everything he did in his life. He couldn't hack the pain."_

" _You seem…different," Hermione says honestly._

" _I feel like a new person," Draco says with a smile, "Free finally, if that makes any sense."_

" _It does," Hermione says._

 _They fall silent as they observe the river that is flowing through the centre of this beautiful northern town, "What business brings you all the way up to Inverness?"_

" _A case, actually," Draco says, "I'm a lawyer now and I'm currently working on that big scandal about the kelpie in Loch Ness, in conjunction with the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures of course."_

 _Hermione nods, "The Muggles don't really believe that crazy old wizard though do they?"_

" _The conspiracy theorists do," Draco says, "But it's nothing a few memory charms can't fix."_

" _Isn't that the kind of thing that the Aurors are supposed to deal with?" Hermione asks._

" _They are pretty understaffed at the moment so they've pulled in a few lawyers to help out," Draco says, "Anyway, what brings you all the way up here?"_

" _The same as you actually," Hermione smiles, "My researcher is taking some time off so I'm on my own. I have a radio show where we cover the news, I came up here to get the low-down on the story."_

" _I know, I like your show," Draco admits, "The guy I share an office with listens to it. Potter isn't my cup of tea, but I still enjoy the style of it. He hasn't been on air with you for a while though has he?"_

" _He's having some difficulties at the moment," Hermione says evasively._

" _Very diplomatic of you," Draco says in amusement, "I can't believe you're dating him, I mean I always thought you would when we were at Hogwarts. But then it looked like you'd end up with your respective Weasels."_

 _Hermione rolls her eyes at him, "Those respective Weasels are still my friends, you know."_

" _Sorry," Draco says with a cheeky smile._

" _No you aren't," Hermione says in amusement, "But yes, with regards to Harry and I, the war changed a lot I guess."_

" _I know it did," Draco says with a solemn nod, "The wizarding bars of London have never been so teaming with people. That's what war creates you know, alcoholics, emotionally damaged people, and babies of course. There are always baby booms after wars."_

" _It's sad," Hermione says with a frown, "I always thought I'd be happy after the war. I thought that things would just go back to normal. But they don't just go back to normal."_

" _It takes time, but the world is getting there," Draco says, "We're rebuilding our society from the ashes. I think it's fitting they called the new rebuild scheme the Phoenix Regime."_

 _Hermione nods, "It's hard to believe that we're still not there yet. Even four years after the war ended."_

" _Things will get back to normal soon," Draco assures her, "The finances just needed rebuilding and the Ministry reformed before any real progress could be made."_

" _A lawyer with an interest in politics," Hermione says with a slight smile, "Why am I not surprised?"_

 _Draco laughs and it is such a strange but pleasant sound, "And you are a reporter who butts her nose into everything. I guess our first impressions of each other were pretty accurate."_

 _Hermione can't help but laugh, "I guess so."_

 _Draco is still smiling slightly when he says, "While we're both here, why don't we go out for a drink together and catch up? There's a nice wizarding place by the castle."_

" _I shouldn't," Hermione says honestly, "Harry and I are together."_

" _I'm not asking you on a date Granger," Draco says, "Just a drink to apologise for everything that happened during the war."_

" _None of it is actually your fault, you do realise that right?" Hermione asks._

 _Draco shrugs, "I still take the blame on my shoulders. And everything that happened before then, the way I talked to you and treated you, I definitely need to apologise for that."_

" _Why did you?" Hermione asks, still bemused by this whole conversation._

" _I was scared of my Father," Draco says honestly, averting his eyes to the ground, "So I did what he wanted. I always felt like he had eyes in the school, that no matter where I was he knew what was going on. I expect Snape was the reason for that."_

" _He wasn't all bad in the end," Hermione says, thinking back to her professor's death._

" _But he was never all good either," Draco says._

 _Hermione nods thoughtfully._

" _So about that drink?"_

" _Alright," Hermione agrees, "But only as budding acquaintances. Deal?"_

" _Deal."_

"Hermione?"

Hermione snaps out of her reverie, "What did you ask?"

"Is Malfoy your soulmate?" Harry asks, "Did he fulfil the criteria?"

"Harry, why are you doing this?" Hermione asks, snapping out of presenter mode, "All of these years we've been friends and it's been fine-"

"Fine for you maybe," Harry says harshly, "It's never been fine for me Hermione. I got out of St. Mungo's to find you marrying the man you'd cheated on me with!"

Hermione gets to her feet, "Harry, we are not talking about this again! You were a mess, and I was a mess. I married Draco and I'm better for it, so are you. You got better after I married him."

"Better is an interesting word," Harry mutters, "Not the one I'd use."

"I don't understand why you are doing this now!" Hermione exclaims in frustration.

Harry pushes himself to his feet and says, "You know exactly why I'm doing it and now doesn't even come into it Hermione. I could have done this at any point in the last 13 years!"

"But you didn't, so you don't have any right to now," Hermione says.

Harry is staring her down, "You don't love him, do you?"

"Of course I love him; why do you think I married him?" Hermione replies shortly.

"Well maybe you did then, but you don't now," Harry says, "I can see it in your eyes. I know you better than anyone else Hermione, I can practically read your mind."

"Well clearly your inner eye is cloudy then," Hermione retorts angrily.

Harry smirks a little. They are now standing rather closely together and Hermione can feel her heart sink at the way she is feeling. She can feel his hot breath on her cheek, she can sense his gaze boring into her soul and all she wants to do is grab him and kiss him. The smell of his cologne, combined with his closeness and the fact she can feel his breath flashed her back to memories of years before. Memories of dancing in a tent together, falling back onto the bunk-bed laughing, looking at each other in disbelief as they realised how they felt. And then sitting in awkward silence afterwards trying to work out where the hell you went after you had just blown up the best friendship in the world and turned it into something more complicated.

"Hermione-" Harry says softly.

Hermione turns instinctively to his voice and is faced with his lips practically against hers. She pulls back before he can kiss her, "No," she says harshly.

Harry steps back, looking angry, "I know you want this! Don't think I can't tell!"

"I don't care what you think I want," Hermione says, grabbing her handbag, "I'm married and this arrangement isn't going to work."

"Are you firing me?" Harry asks in disbelief.

"Yes, I am," Hermione says hotly, "You're fired, so go and find a new job!"

Without another word she turns on her heel and leaves.

* * *

"Hey Han," Hermione says with a fake smile to her friend as she walks into the Muggle café they had agreed to meet in.

"What's wrong?" Hannah Longbottom asks Hermione anxiously, "You sounded upset in your text."

Hermione is so glad that Hannah has a mobile phone, she is Hermione's closest and most trusted friend after Harry. Things with Ginny are still strained because of Hermione and Ginny's shared past with Harry, so Hannah really is Hermione's only female friend.

"Harry is whats up," Hermione says with a sigh, "I need to fill you in on some stuff. You know the show got cancelled obviously but one solution was to relaunch the old show with Harry and I co-hosting."

"And you said yes?" Hannah asks in disbelief, "How did you get Draco to agree to that?"

"He didn't really, it's still an area of contention," Hermione admits, "But I thought it would be alright. I didn't think it would be awkward or hard, then one of the news stories was about true love-"

"I know the one," Hannah says with a sympathetic glance at her friend, "What did he do? Tell you he loves you?"

"He had this rant at me about how I apparently don't love Draco," Hermione says with a frown, "Then he tried to kiss me."

Hannah gaped, "He tried to kiss you? Does he really not care about the fact you're married?"

"I don't know," Hermione sighs, "You know how he feels about Draco. Either way I fired him."

"You fired him?" Hannah asks.

Hermione nods, "And I don't really know how to feel now. I mean hes my best friend, hes been in my life forever. The kids call him Uncle Harry, but I can't have him ruining my marriage or breaking up my family."

"Sounds like that's your head speaking," Hannah says, "You still have feelings for him don't you?"

"I'll always have feelings for him Han," Hermione says with a sigh, "But being back in that environment did bring it all back."

"What are you going to tell Draco?" Hannah asks.

"Just that it isn't working out so I fired Harry," Hermione says.

"You think he'll believe that?"

"I doubt it, but I'd never be able to explain the situation to him properly even if I wanted to," Hermione says as she feels a migraine coming on.

 **TBC :)**


	3. Unexpected Friendships

**Fade Into You**

 **Chapter 3 - Unexpected Friendships  
**

"You're late tonight," Hermione says when the door to the house she shares with Draco creaks open. The clock has not long struck 1pm and the house is eerily quiet.

"Mother and I went out for dinner after the debate with a few people from the pureblood circle," Draco says, "I need to get back in with them to win their votes."

"I'm not judging,' Hermione says as she stretches out and yawns, "I get it."

She puts her bookmark into her book and shuts it. The sound echoes in the silent room and makes Draco jump. Hermione looks up at him, he looks tired and Hermione suspects that there's more to it than physical tiredness.

"How did the rehearsal go?" Draco asks stiffly. He takes off his cloak and throws it under his arm, watching her expectantly.

"Not well," Hermione replies as she frowns down at her hands, "You were right, it was never going to work. I fired Harry, the show isn't being re-launched."

Draco frowns at her, "What went wrong?"

"Nothing," Hermione lies, "It just wasn't working."

"Yes Hermione, but _why_ wasn't it working?" Draco asks pointedly. His tone is firmer, his eyes are narrowed, he looks suspicious.

"Because I can't work with him, not anymore. It was different when we were dating and doing the show…" Hermione says, her frown deepening. She is telling the truth, in a way.

Draco scoffs, "So you slept with Potter then?"

"What?" Hermione asks him sharply, "No! Do you really think I would do that?"

"I wouldn't put anything past Potter," Draco seethes. He sounds like his old self as he sneers and practically spits Harry's name, "He'd do anything for you, you know that. Do you think he cares about the fact you're married? You know how he feels about me."

"I know, that's why it wasn't working!" Hermione says hotly, "So I fired him. That's that, hes pissed off at me too so you probably won't have to deal with him in our personal lives either."

Draco shakes his head, "So you've clung onto him all these years, insisted hes around for the kids birthdays and at Christmas. You've raised the kids to call him Uncle Harry, you've done all that for 10 years but then you just drop him like this. And it _isn't_ because you slept with him? I should have listened to my Mother, she always said your relationship with him would be trouble."

"And you always listen to your Mother after all, don't you?" Hermione asks scathingly.

Draco ignores her comment and looks her directly in the eye as he says, "You wanted to sleep with him. The thought ran through your mind and you liked it. You realised you could quite easily sleep with him so you fired him, you removed the temptation."

Hermione opens her mouth to speak but then realises in horror that Draco is right. It would be easy to go back to Harry, to fall into his arms, it would be _too_ easy. That does scare her, Godric knows it _terrifies_ her. She promptly shuts her mouth when she realises that no words will fix this.

Draco's eyes darken. He silently seethes as he shakes his head, the disbelief on his face is clear, "I knew it."

"Draco-"

"No," Draco says firmly, "All of these years I have always been second best to him, but I thought we had gotten to the point where you really had forgotten about him. I thought maybe I was enough for you now, I thought our life was enough for you. But it isn't, you and him are always going to have this _thing_ aren't you? Maybe you didn't sleep with him but you might as well have done. This is an affair."

"Draco what are you talking about?" Hermione asks in disbelief.

"Since we got married you've been having an affair with Potter, emotionally if not physically. You're never going to love me as much as you love him, despite everything I did for you and everything he did _to_ you."

"Draco-"

"I'm done talking about this Hermione," Draco says. He doesn't even shout, he just sounds fed up of having the same old argument. Hermione can't really blame him, this has been a sticking point for years.

Draco sighs in a long suffering way and says, "I'm going to bed."

Hermione lets her head fall into her hands as overnight her life begins to fall apart as it so often seems to when Harry is involved. She can't help but think about the things that Draco has done to her, or at least seen done to her. Harry had hurt her, she would never deny that but she also knows that Draco is far from perfect himself. She still has nightmares about that night. She remembers Draco watching with wide horrified eyes. She remembers that he did nothing to help while Ron and Harry screamed in the cellar below. Hermione frowns down at the pale scars on her arm that are glistening in the candlelight.

 _Mudblood._

He had watched while that was carved into her arm, while she screamed in pain and he had not made one single move to help her. Hermione has grown to love Draco since then. He truly is a changed man, he's a wonderful Father and up until recently he had been a doting husband. She tries her best to love him for who he is now and not to resent him for who he was but at times like this, it's hard.

" _This is nice," Draco says as they walk along the River Ness which is lit up by fairy lights._

 _Hermione nods thoughtfully, "Your company isn't atrocious," She agrees._

 _Draco smiles, "That's almost a compliment from Hermione Granger."_

 _Hermione smiles very slightly, "That must sound strange to your ears," She says._

" _It does," Draco says sincerely, "But it sounds nice too."_

 _Hermione glances up at him, he is unrecognisable as a person, yet he looks almost exactly the same. For a second she wonders if Draco Malfoy actually has an identical twin but then she finds herself laughing at the very idea._

" _What's so funny?" Draco asks self-consciously._

" _You've been so…different tonight," Hermione says through her chuckling, "For a moment I wondered if you had an identical twin."_

 _Draco laughs and shakes his head, "No, just a little sister."_

" _You have a sister?" Hermione asks._

 _Draco nods, "She's a squib, so I never found out about her until my Father died. There were unopened letters from her in his desk."_

" _What happened to her?" Hermione asks with a frown, she suspects the girl had been hidden because of her lack of magical ability._

" _My Father left her at a Muggle orphanage, much to my Mothers disgust, but the status quo had to be upheld. She doesn't resent him for it, she even went to his funeral. I don't think I would have been so forgiving," Draco admits._

" _Did you go to his funeral?" Hermione asks._

 _Draco nods, and Hermione says, "I expect if you hadn't gone you would have regretted it later in your life."_

" _Maybe," Draco says, clearly wanting to drop the subject._

" _This is me," Hermione says as they slow down outside of her hotel, "Where are you staying?"_

" _Oh I have a little family place close by," Draco says offhandedly._

" _Right, for a while there I almost forgot you were a rich prejudiced git," Hermione admits._

 _Draco smiles weakly, "I wish I could forget."_

" _Here's a wild idea, you could change," Hermione says sarcastically._

" _I am trying to," Draco says sincerely, "Despite it all Hermione, I have always admired you. From afar of course."_

" _Admired me?" Hermione scoffs._

 _Draco smiles, "Why is that so hard to believe? You have it all, you are a beautiful woman, you are incredibly logical and sensible, you are the most intelligent person I know and you stand up for what you believe in."_

 _Hermione hides her blush and smiles, "Some men would say the fact I have an opinion on everything is a bad thing. Harry thinks I'm too stubborn."_

 _Draco snorts and it is odd because it isn't the kind of thing Hermione ever expected him to do. It isn't graceful and elegant like Draco Malfoy so often is.  
_

" _Potter would think that, look how stubborn_ _ **he**_ _is," Draco points out, "I bet your arguments are pretty intense."_

 _Something painful flashes in Hermione's eyes and she nods, "Yeah, you could say that. Look, I had a nice time tonight Malfoy, but I really should go."_

" _Just one thing," Draco says as he grabs her wrist to stop her from running away._

" _What?" Hermione asks._

 _Draco pulls her closer and kisses her lightly, allowing her to deepen the kiss if it is what she wants. She doesn't, instead she pulls back and glares at him, "What was that for? You know I'm with Harry!"_

" _Did you feel anything?" Draco asks, "Because if the answer is no I'll never bother you again, or we can be friends if you'd like. But if the answer is yes then I won't let it go that easily."_

 _Hermione wants to lie to him. She wants to tell him that she had felt nothing but the kiss had sent shivers down her spine and clouded her head, "I…"_

" _Yes or no, did you feel anything?" Draco asks, surveying her curiously._

" _Yes," Hermione says finally, she catches his eye and sees something akin to hope flicker there._

 _Draco smiles slightly then kisses her on the cheek, "Then goodnight Hermione. I'll floo you sometime."_

Hermione sighs, lost in the memories of the early and confusing days with Draco. She has felt guilty for a large chunk of their relationship, and she is amazed that she and Harry don't hate each other given their past. Draco had seemed charming and Hermione had liked him. But she had still been dating Harry and the things Draco had done in the past were never just glossed over.

" _I can't believe I did this, Merlin I'm an idiot!"_

" _Hermione-"_

" _No, you don't get to tell me to calm down!" Hermione exclaims as she pulls on her jeans and turns to Draco who is lying in his bed._

" _I wasn't going to tell you to calm down," Draco says, "I was just going to say that Potter-"_

" _And I are still together," Hermione says firmly, "That's the only way to end that sentence."_

 _Draco's eyes flash angrily and he gets up "No it isn't. I could say Potter is bad for you or Potter is an arsehole who doesn't appreciate you and hurts you."_

" _And you don't?" Hermione asks coolly, she is dressed now and staring him down, "Maybe you aren't a drunk who gets angry but you have hurt me too Malfoy. You belittled me for years, you teased me for the way I looked and for being smart. You stood by and watched while I was tortured and begged for my life and you did nothing because you were a coward then and you always will be!"_

 _Draco doesn't respond to that at first. Hermione shoves her feet into her boots and grabs her jacket._

" _I was a coward," Draco says quietly as she reaches for the door handle, "And I was terrified of my Father and what he would have done if I had helped you. But I haven't stepped foot in that_ _ **place**_ _since the war. I can't stomach the thought of seeing-" his voice cuts off and he clears his throat._

 _Hermione turns around to look at him and is surprised to see tears in his eyes._

" _Where she did that to you," Draco continues, "I have never forgiven myself for not helping you so if you can't forgive that either, I would understand. I just don't see how you can forgive Potter for continually giving you false hope and then hurting you."_

" _Because he has always been there for me, this is just a rough time. He's protected me for years and I know he'll get better and things will be like they were before," Hermione says, unable to meet Draco's eye, "I can forgive him because I love him."_

" _If you love him so much how did we end up here?" Draco asks softly, "It didn't happen for nothing, there is something between us Hermione."_

" _Maybe there was," Hermione agrees, "But there can't be, not anymore."_

 _Draco opens his mouth to object but Hermione shakes her head, "Goodbye Draco."_

* * *

Harry hasn't talked to Hermione since she fired him a week ago. He hasn't even seen her and the WWN is a small place so that is quite an impressive feat. He is fairly sure she is avoiding him, and that suits him fine because he doesn't really want to talk to her at the moment anyway.

He has put her out of his mind entirely as he sits in a Quidditch stand with Teddy. He has wrangled the 15-year-old out of Hogwarts this Saturday so that they can watch the latest Harpies game together. It's his birthday present to his favourite Godson.

"I don't think Aunt Ginny's as good as she used to be," Teddy remarks as they watch the game. The Harpies are winning at the moment, but it is a close game.

"Well she has just come back after having Amy," Harry points out.

"So?" Teddy asks, "How does having kids make you a bad player?"

Harry raises an eyebrow at his Godson, "Are you sure you want me to explain that to you? Think about where babies come out and how you ride a broom."

Teddy makes a face, "That is _disgusting._ "

"You asked," Harry chortles, turning back to the game and his former girlfriend. Ginny and he are friends but they aren't as close as they had once been. They hadn't gotten back together after the war, and when Ginny found out that was because of Harry's feelings for Hermione it had caused some tension. Things are better now but Ginny and Hermione would never be best friends.

Ginny is happy now anyway, she has settled down with Michael Corner and they have two daughters, Chloe and Amy, who are 5 and 4. Ginny had taken a break from Quidditch while they were very young and is just getting back into it again this season.

"Is it true you're unemployed?" Teddy asks, sipping on the butterbeer Harry had bought him.

"Who told you that?" Harry asks in amusement.

"Grandma," Teddy replies.

Harry rolls his eyes, "Well she would tell you that. You know your Grandma doesn't like me."

"She thinks you're a bad influence on me," Teddy smirks.

"Me, a bad influence on you?" Harry scoffs, "Never. It's all those mischievous Gryffindors you hang out with."

Teddy laughs, "A Hufflepuff needs bodyguards. Is it actually true though?"

"Yeah," Harry admits, "The show got axed and then Hermione and me were going to re-launch the old show but that didn't work out."

"Did you sleep with her?" Teddy asks bluntly, "Grandma says you always sleep with her, and that she's a bad influence on you."

"I didn't sleep with her, but I did try and kiss her," Harry says, "And she's not a bad influence on me. You can't help who you have feelings for you know."

"I know," Teddy shrugs, "But at least you and Hermione were in the same house. It sucks when you aren't."

"Ah, Victoire again?" Harry asks knowingly.

"She says she likes me but it's hard because she's in Slytherin," Teddy says with a roll of his eyes, "It isn't hard at all. I think she's just scared of what her Dad will think."

"Which part do you think he'll disapprove of?" Harry asks with a smirk, "The part werewolf thing? The rebel thing? Or possibly the prankster thing? Because I'm pretty sure her Dad was all three at one point."

"I know about her Dads werewolf thing," Teddy says in an undertone, "But I can't think of any other reason why she wants to keep it secret."

"Girls are weird, Ted," Harry says, "I don't think we'll ever completely understand them. Maybe the house thing is part of it, maybe she's worried her friends will tease her for dating a Hufflepuff."

"Well I'm sick of it," Teddy says, "So I'm going to kiss her in front of everybody and then see what she does."

Harry chortles, "Good luck with that, I'm sure she'll slap you for it."

Teddy smirks, "I don't care if she does. I'm not going to be her secret lover anymore."

"You're technically not her lover unless you've slept with her," Harry teases, "Snogging her in corridors after curfew doesn't count."

"Shut up Harry," Teddy retorts and they both laugh together.

"Harry, hey!"

Harry turns around and tries to resist the urge to roll his eyes when he sees Chelsea Clifton standing behind him. She is dressed down from the last time he had seen her, today she is just in jeans and a t-shirt.

"What are you doing here?"

"I'm covering the QWC and since I don't have a researcher I've had to take things into my own hands and start coming to games myself to scout out the talent. A couple of Harpies players are playing for England this year," Chelsea says, walking forward and leaning against the railing to look out over the pitch.

"Yeah, I know," Harry says, "Ginny's friends with them."

"Ginny, your ex right?" Chelsea asks.

Teddy snorts and Harry shoots him a mock glare, "This is my Godson Teddy by the way. Teddy this is-"

"Chelsea Clifton, I know," Teddy says with an amused look at Harry, "I do listen to the radio you know. I'm not out of touch like you."

"Ouch," Chelsea chuckles.

Harry rolls his eyes in amusement, "Anyway, Ginny is also my friend, not just my ex. Do you still not have a researcher?"

"I can't find one reliable enough," Chelsea sighs, "Are you still out of a job? I heard your re-launch of that old show didn't exactly go to plan."

"It didn't, so yes I still don't have a job," Harry admits.

"Are you sure you don't want to reconsider my offer?" Chelsea asks hopefully, "I know we got off on the wrong foot but I won't lie, I would be honoured to have you researching for the special QWC show. It's pretty much your area of expertise and the work you did on Hermione's show is fantastic."

Harry is silent for a moment as he wonders whether he had judged Chelsea too early. She is still young and maybe the only way she knows how to get people on her side is by sleeping with them.

"Alright, I'll consider it," Harry says.

Chelsea smiles, "Do you have a mobile?"

"Yeah," Harry says, pulling the iPhone Hermione had bought him from his jeans pocket and exchanging numbers with Chelsea.

"I've got to head," Chelsea says as she slips her phone away, "I've got interviews with the players after the game, you know how it is."

Harry nods and smiles at her, "Good luck."

"If I can get you hired I won't need luck," Chelsea says with a grin as she turns and walks away.

Teddy whistles and Harry rolls his eyes, playfully smacking his Godson on the back of the head, "I thought you were head over heels for Victoire?" He jokes.

"I am, but you can't deny that she's hot," Teddy says.

Harry laughs, "She's half my age Teddy, she's probably closer to your age."

"I was only at Hogwarts with her for one year," Teddy says, "She left at the end of my 1st year."

"What do you know about her?" Harry asks curiously.

"Not much, she was in Slytherin and she was Head Girl," Teddy shrugs, "She was one of the popular kids, she came across pretty mean to the 1st years. Victoire hated her, she still won't listen to her show."

Harry hums thoughtfully, "Is she a pureblood then if she was in Slytherin?"

"Nope," Teddy says, "Muggle-born, that is why she was so mean I think, to compensate. From what I've heard on her radio show she worked her way up into the pureblood circles but she doesn't talk about her pre-Hogwarts days at all."

"You think she had a rough time of it?" Harry asks, thinking back to his own screwed up childhood.

"That's my best guess," Teddy says.

"Fair enough," Harry says thoughtfully, "Do you think I should take the job?"

"It's the QWC with Chelsea Clifton, of course you should take it!" Teddy exclaims, "Do you know how much you'd get paid for that?"

"Hey, you know I don't bother about money," Harry says firmly, "But at the same time I do need a job and since Hermione fired me-"

"She actually _fired_ you?" Teddy asks.

"Yeah," Harry says absentmindedly, "She's scared of her feelings for me, and she doesn't want to cheat on her _precious_ husband. That's my best guess for why she did it, but either way I need a job."

"Would working with Chelsea piss her off?" Teddy asks with a raised eyebrow.

"A lot," Harry admits.

Teddy smirks, "Then do it."

Harry shakes his head in amusement, "I don't know how you didn't end up in Slytherin with an attitude like that. You remind me of my Dad, and my Godfather."

Teddy grins, "I learned from you. I told the hat I didn't want to be in Slytherin."

"And why would you do that?" Harry asks curiously.

"I'm a snake hiding in a badger's belly," Teddy says with a grin, "The perfect spy."

"You are a sneaky little shit," Harry says through his laughter as he ruffles the boy's hair.

* * *

After the game Harry drops Teddy off at Hogwarts then heads back to his London flat. He sits in his armchair, takes out his phone and looks at Chelsea's number and the picture she had snapped of herself. He stares at it for a good half hour before he finally decides to call her.

" _Hello?"_

"Hey Chelsea," Harry says, "I've considered your offer."

" _And whats the verdict? Do I have the best researcher in the business working for me?"_

"Maybe," Harry says honestly, "Can we have coffee or something and talk about what you'd expect from me before I say yes?"

" _Sure. Are you free tonight?"_

"Tonight?"

" _Yeah, why not? I need a researcher as soon as possible."_

"Uh, yeah okay," Harry says, not expecting this turn of events.

" _Great! I'll text you my address, come by anytime."_

Before Harry has anytime to think of a response Chelsea hangs up the phone and 5 minutes later she texts him her address.

Harry shakes his head in disbelief as he gets up to change for his meeting with the girl. She seems unpredictable and Harry is oddly intrigued by her.

* * *

Chelsea Clifton lives in exactly the sort of place Harry expects her to live in. It is a pad on the top floor of a building of luxurious flats in a posh suburb of London. He feels incredibly out of place in his jeans and t-shirt as he rings her doorbell and shuffles from foot to foot.

"Hey!" She says brightly when she opens the door dressed as she had been earlier at the Quidditch game.

"Hey," Harry says with a smile.

"Come in," Chelsea says, pulling the door open wide.

"Appropriate, that you live in Chelsea," Harry remarks as he walks into her ultra-modern and stylish flat.

Chelsea laughs, "A lot of people say that, I never thought I'd be able to live somewhere as nice as this."

"I'm guessing you grew up in Ireland?" Harry asks. He is aware of the accent; he can't _not_ be after all but he hasn't asked Chelsea about it yet.

"Yes," Chelsea says with a smile, "I'm a Dubliner through and through. Most people mention the accent sooner."

Harry shrugs, "I noted it when I first met you but I didn't know you well enough to ask about it."

"Where did you grow up? Somewhere around here from your accent?" Chelsea guesses.

"Surrey," Harry says, "But I was born in Somerset."

"Right, Godric's Hollow," Chelsea nods, "I know about your past, who in our world doesn't?"

"Hence why I like researching and co-hosting," Harry says, "I don't like being the centre of attention."

"I guessed," Chelsea smiles, "But it seems like you kind of fell into the co-hosting thing by accident."

"Yeah, I did," Harry admits, "Hermione and I were dating and I was a guest on her show, then it just spiralled from there."

Chelsea nods, "So you two aren't…you know?"

"She's married," Harry says simply, not wanting to take that conversation any further.

"I admire your integrity," Chelsea chuckles, "Do you want a glass of wine?"

"No thanks," Harry says politely, "I don't drink."

"Well I'm going to have one, if you don't mind," Chelsea says.

"No, by all means do," Harry says with a wave of his hand.

Chelsea pours herself a glass of wine and sits down opposite Harry in the living room, "So you wanna know what the job will entail, right?"

Harry nods and she continues, "Well, it will mostly be researching. My special show for the QWC starts about a month before the games start and it's the usual pre-QWC stuff. So I'll need you to get on that pretty quick, pick out a few star players, some up and coming ones. We'll need to review the teams and we'll need the bookies odds about the winners. But that's just the basics, I'm sure you're okay with that?"

"I expected that," Harry says honestly, "But I wondered if there was more to it than that."

"Slightly more," Chelsea admits, "If you agree there will be a little co-hosting which means a lot of travel. You'll be going to every QWC game and you'll have to get on alright with me to co-host."

"I don't mind you Chelsea," Harry says, "I was harsh on you in our first meeting. I just don't take well to people who feel that the only way they can get what they want is by sleeping with someone. I've seen too many people like that in the entertainment business."

"Well things have changed since you started out," Chelsea says with a frown, "The only way for a woman to further herself in this business is by sleeping around these days. I don't have the connections Hermione Malfoy has, I've not been here long enough."

"She's still called Granger," Harry says, and Chelsea doesn't miss the irritated tone of his voice. He continued, "And there are other ways to forge new connections. I could help you with that if you want. I know where you are right now, it's exactly where Hermione was when she started out and look at her now."

"Why would you want to help me?" Chelsea asks, "I'm pretty sure your precious Hermione hates me."

"She hates change, so yes she isn't that keen on you," Harry says bluntly, "But she's not my precious Hermione, she fired me so I can do what I want."

Chelsea smiles slightly, "There's the fiery Harry Potter I've heard about. Please tell me you'll say yes."

Harry smiles back, "Yes, I'll work for you."

Chelsea grins, "The great Harry Potter working on my show," She says as she walks over to the sofa and sits down next to him, "We should celebrate."

"You don't have to sleep with me," Harry says with a raised eyebrow, "I already said yes."

"Maybe I just want to sleep with you," Chelsea says smoothly.

Harry laughs weakly and is trying to think of some witty retort when she kisses him.

* * *

"Draco, can we please talk?" Hermione asks quietly. They are in the kitchen getting snacks ready for family night.

"About what?" Draco asks.

"Stop this, stop pretending everything is fine. Things haven't been fine since that argument about Harry and the show…"

Draco sighs, "What do you want me to do Hermione? Say I'm okay with the fact you're always going to love another man more than me?"

"But I don't Draco, and you don't seem to be able to see that," Hermione says, "This marriage has never been loveless. Aren't the kid's proof of that? Of course we love each other."

Draco looks her in the eye, "I didn't say you didn't love me, I just said you loved someone else more."

Hermione shakes her head in disbelief, no matter what she says she isn't getting through to him, "Look, I wasn't even going to consider the offer but now I think it's the best thing for us. My options now are the early morning news show, which you know is the graveyard for a radio presenter, or the QWC with Chelsea Clifton. I didn't want to leave the kids for long periods of time but I think some distance would do us good right now."

"Yeah, so do I," Draco says with a sigh, "So take the QWC job, I'll be around to watch the kids. Campaigning doesn't take up a ridiculous amount of time."

"Are you sure?" Hermione asks tentatively.

"Like you said, distance is probably the best thing for us right now," Draco says, grabbing a bowl of crisps from the kitchen table and leaving Hermione standing alone.

* * *

"Morning!"

Harry frowns slightly at the high-pitched voice and the green curtains around the bed. He sits up and looks around the room which is decked out in the Slytherin colours. Then his eyes fall on Chelsea who is standing in the doorway in her underwear, holding two cups of coffee. All of a sudden he remembers the night before.

"So last night was fun, right?" Chelsea asks with a sly grin as she hands him coffee, "Was I the first person you've screwed since Hermione got married?"

"Was it that bad?" Harry asks with a raised eyebrow.

"Not at all," Chelsea says honestly.

Harry snorts in amusement and sips his coffee, "No, Hermione has been married for nearly 12 years. I might have morals but I'm not a fucking monk Chelsea."

Chelsea laughs heartily, "You have morals? Even though you just slept with someone who saw your Godson get sorted at Hogwarts?"

Harry makes a face, "Merlin, how young are you again?"

"21," Chelsea says with a slight grimace, "That's quite a bit younger than you right?"

"I'm not that old," Harry scoffs.

"What age are you? Cause I did an essay about you for DADA at school so…" Chelsea trails off, smirking at him.

"I'm 33," Harry admits, cringing slightly, "13 years older than you."

"Well I like older men," Chelsea says simply, "And you don't look that old."

"Thanks, I think," Harry says with an amused glance her way, "Although I kind of feel dirty for sleeping with you, you're so young."

Chelsea shakes her head, "Look, if anyone gets this it's you. You must have been older than your years at the end of the war. I've been through a lot of crap, I was older than my years by the time I finished school and I've had to fight my way into this business. Don't feel sorry for me."

"I'm sorry you've been through crap Chelsea," Harry says honestly, "I had a shitty childhood too, I know it's not easy. Hogwarts becomes like a sort of haven, doesn't it?"

"I think it's been a haven for a lot of people over the years," Chelsea says, "It's an escape of sorts, even if you do get bullied for being a Muggle-born."

"Or for being the chosen one," Harry says with a slight smile, "You'd have thought everyone loved me at school, but they didn't."

"I can imagine, people don't treat their heroes with respect too much of the time," Chelsea says.

"I'm not a hero," Harry scoffs, "Don't ever call me that. All I did was deliver the final blow, countless other people did more, and they lost their lives in the process."

"Sounds like I'm not the only one who's gone through shit over the years," Chelsea says with a sad smile.

"I'm definitely not the hero they paint me to be in the books," Harry admits "I'm a dirty 33-year-old who sleeps with women half his age."

Chelsea laughs, "Well you seem to like me, that's good. It will make the show all the more believable."

"Is that why you slept with me?" Harry asks in surprise.

"No, I slept with you because I think you're hot," Chelsea says with a mischievous smile, "And because I wanted to. But at the same time, it will also make the show more believable."

Harry shakes his head, partly amused and partly exasperated. There is definitely something endearing about her, "When do we start?"

"First rehearsal is at 9am, so drink up!" Chelsea says cheerfully as she leaves the bedroom into what Harry guesses is an ensuite bathroom.

* * *

"When is an age gap too big of an age gap?"

Bill shoots Harry a sideways look, "Oh I don't know...About 8 years."

Harry rolls his eyes at the eldest Weasley, "Of course you would say that, Fleur's 8 years younger than you."

"Why have you come to my house at 8am to ask me this question?" Bill asks, throwing a sack of compost over his shoulder, "Answer that and I'll give you some proper advice."

"Well I may have slept with someone a little younger than me," Harry admits sheepishly.

"How much younger?" Bill asks with a raised eyebrow.

"About 10 years," Harry lies, "How much of an age gap was there between Remus and Tonks again?"

"13 years," Bill replies, "How much younger than you is this girl Harry?"

Harry grimaces, "13 years."

Bill whistles, "You're sleeping with 21 year olds? Well done."

Harry glares at him, "My conscience is having serious problems dealing with this Bill. Where's Remus when you need him?"

Bill hums thoughtfully, "See why Remus was so torn about dating Tonks now? He liked her, loved her even. But he felt so guilty about the age gap."

"And I finally see why," Harry sighs.

"Who is this girl? How are you meeting 21 year olds?" Bill asks, "Merlin, she's not a friend of Teds is she?"

"No!" Harry says, horrified at the thought, "I met her through work. Hermione and I had a bit of a falling out and she fired me, so I'm working with Chelsea now."

"Chelsea Clifton?" Bill asks in disbelief, "You're sleeping with Chelsea Clifton?"

"Well I've only slept with her once," Harry says awkwardly.

Bill scoffs and shakes his head, "I don't know how you managed that one. Maybe she likes the nerdy, awkward guy thing."

"Oh fuck off Bill, I came here for advice not to be insulted," Harry says irritably.

"Alright, my advice is that she's crazy and has a reputation for sleeping with everything that moves. Get yourself checked out at St. Mungo's," Bill says with a vaguely amused smirk, "And stop sleeping with 21-year old's Harry, it's just weird."

"I know," Harry complains as Bill walks towards the cow shed with his sack of compost.

* * *

" _Harry?"_

" _I'm sorry about the fight Hermione," Harry says from Hermione's doorway._

" _We always fight Harry," Hermione says simply._

" _But we shouldn't," Harry says, walking into the house and letting Hermione shut the door behind him, "We should be together, this should be our family. Not Malfoy's."_

" _Harry-"_

 _And then before Hermione can finish her sentence Harry's lips are on hers and then he is pressing her against the wall and her legs are wrapped around him. Then he is carrying her to the bedroom, and they are-_

"Hermione!"

Hermione wakes up with a jolt to see Draco standing above her with a cup of coffee, "You were difficult to wake up this morning."

"I was in a deep sleep," Hermione lies as Draco hands her the coffee cup.

"I have an early start," Draco says apologetically, "Can you get the kids sorted out with their tutor?"

"Sure, I don't have to be in till lunchtime today anyway," Hermione says with a yawn.

"Thanks," Draco says, kissing her on the cheek, "I'll see you tonight."

"Bye," Hermione says pointlessly, because by the time she has said it Draco is already out of the room.

She falls back onto the bed and stares at the ceiling in annoyance. She had fired Harry to avoid thinking about him, to avoid going back into that place where he consumed her thoughts. But now he is appearing in her dreams and there is nothing she can do about that apart from taking a sleeping draught which isn't an option when you have kids to get up in the morning. She groans and reaches for her phone, sending out a simple text to Hannah.

" _In my dreams as well now. Can I not escape this anywhere?"_

She also has a text from Sebastian, the wizarding world isn't all as advanced as the WWN but with news they realise that fast communication is vital, and Muggle mobile phones are both fast and easy.

" _The meeting with Chelsea about the QWC has been moved to 2pm. But you should probably come in earlier, you'll need a researcher before you meet with her."_

Hermione groans again, great, she needs a new researcher. She had always trusted Harry to bring her reliable information and now she has fired him she is going to have to try and find someone else reliable which will be difficult. For a moment she actually considers un-firing him, but that would only make her current situation all the more difficult. Her marriage is more strained than ever before.

Her phone pings and it is a response from Hannah.

" _If you can't escape it even in your dreams, maybe you should stop trying."_

Hermione resists the urge to throw her phone at the wall in frustration as she gets out of bed and heads for her wardrobe, "Not helpful Hannah," she mutters under her breath.

* * *

"So you are telling me I have 4 hours to find a researcher?" Hermione asks in disbelief when she walks into her office.

"Yes, you changed your mind so quickly about the whole co-hosting thing," Sebastian says with a pointed look, "So things have to be hurried along. It doesn't have to be a permanent thing, just hire someone who knows plenty about Quidditch and use them for this QWC show."

"Is Oliver Wood in a contract at the moment?" Hermione asks, after Harry he is the best researcher out there for Quidditch news.

"He has a column in the Prophet, but no contract as such," Sebastian replies.

"Good, get him," Hermione says, glancing at the clock and feeling incredibly stressed, "I'll have him if he agrees."

"Alright," Sebastian says as he makes for the door, "I'll go and find him."

"Thank you Seb," Hermione says gratefully, "For all of this."

Sebastian just smiles and leaves her office in search of Oliver Wood.

* * *

 _Knock. Knock._

"Come in!" Hermione calls, looking up from her desk as the door opens and a tall, handsome man with dark hair and dark eyes walks in.

He smiles at her and says, "Apparently my presence is urgently requested."

Hermione smiles back, "Thanks for coming down on such short notice Oliver."

"No problem," Oliver says as he sits down across from her, "Sebastian sounded pretty worried. What's up?"

"Well, I need a researcher actually," Hermione says honestly, "And he only gave me 4 hours to find one."

"And I was the best one you could find at short notice?" Oliver jokes.

Hermione shakes her head, "Quite the opposite actually. You're the only person I'd trust to do it, and it's exactly your cup of tea too."

"I only have a column for the Prophet at the moment so I'll hear you out," Oliver says.

"It's for a special show about the QWC. You would be my personal researcher which would mean a lot of travelling," Hermione says.

Oliver raises his hands, "You don't need to convince me, I'm sold. Quidditch is my thing."

"I know and you're the best researcher in the Quidditch arena, probably even better than Harry," Hermione says with a grin, "So you'll do it?"

"I'll do it," Oliver says with a smile, "What happened to you and Harry anyway? He's been your researcher for years."

"I fired him, over a pretty serious falling out," Hermione admits sheepishly.

"Well as much as I like the guy I'm not complaining since it's landed me my dream job," Oliver grins, "Where do I sign and when do I start?"

Hermione's smile widens as she hands him the contract, "You know the drill, sign on the dotted line. And you start in about an hours' time, I told you it was short notice."

Oliver laughs and asks, "So what does this job entail exactly?"

"Well team work is going to be essential. The show is going to be co-hosted by Chelsea Clifton so you'll have to work with her researcher," Hermione says.

Oliver signs the contract and hands it back to her, "I'm sure he or she will be amicable to work with. Researchers aren't usually divas, that's the presenter's job."

Hermione raises an eyebrow at him, "Are you calling me a diva?"

'No, of course not," Oliver says, smiling boyishly at her, "You are one of the loveliest people that I know Hermione. I was referring to Chelsea Clifton, I hear she can be hard work off air."

"Ah yes, it wouldn't surprise me if she is," Hermione admits, "We have our first meeting with her in an hour and I don't exactly like the girl so I don't think it's going to go very well."

"From the rumours I've heard around here she doesn't like you much either, so this meeting could be interesting," Oliver says with a chuckle.

"Well whether we like it or not we need each other," Hermione says with a shrug, "So we're going to have to be grown-ups about the whole thing and work together."

"She's only 21, it might be hard for her to act like a grown-up," Oliver teases.

Hermione rolls her eyes, "Well at least _we'll_ act like adults," She says with a smile as she holds out her hand to him, "It's a pleasure to have you working for me."

"It's a pleasure to work for you, Hermione," Oliver says as he takes her hand and shakes it.

 **TBC :)  
**


	4. Mending Old Fences&Building New Bridges

**Fade Into You**

 **Chapter 4 - Mending Old Fences & Building New Bridges  
**

"Okay so you've grilled me enough on that run-through," Harry yawns. He drinks deeply from the coffee that Chelsea has just bought him.

"You did a good job though," Chelsea says happily as she sips on her own coffee, "Peter says we had good chemistry."

"Of course he'd say that, he's your manager," Harry says, yawning again, "I'm not used to these early mornings either you know. I normally do evening shows."

"Welcome to your new life Harry, I'll keep you supplied with coffee," Chelsea jokes with a grin.

Harry just laughs, "So what's next on your busy schedule?"

"We have a meeting with the co-host and their researcher," Chelsea admits grudgingly, "But after that I'll leave you to gather your research."

"Wait, there's a co-host?" Harry asks, "You didn't tell me that when I signed my contract."

"Well that is because nothing is set in stone, it still isn't," Chelsea says with a shrug, "And if I have it my way there won't be a co-host anyway."

"Why are they forcing you to take a co-host?" Harry asks her.

"They think it's good for me," Chelsea says with an irritated roll of her eyes, "Working with someone older, getting connections in the business, working my way in with a different crowd. I do only have teenagers in my following to be honest."

"Someone older?" Harry asks with a frown, "As in someone I know? I've worked in the business a while."

Chelsea shrugs, "You'll find out in a minute. The meetings just through here."

Harry blindly follows her and doesn't ask any questions because he knows he won't get an answer anyway. They walk into the meeting room together and sit down around a table designed for five people.

"Five?" Harry asks with a raised eyebrow.

"The co-host, their researcher and Roger Ford," Chelsea replies.

"Ford? The head of the WWN?" Harry asks in disbelief.

Chelsea shrugs, "Someone has to tell us what to do and make sure this goes smoothly," She says as the door opens and two people walk in.

Harry's jaw drops, "Hermione?"

Hermione frowns, "Harry? Why are you here?"

"He's my new researcher," Chelsea cuts in.

"Well, your standards have dropped since I fired you," Hermione says coolly.

"Hey!" Chelsea objected, "You're here to work with me so clearly your standards have dropped too."

"She's just doing what she needs to survive," Harry says bitterly, "You really should have been a Slytherin Hermione. Not only are you manipulative and at times cruel, you're like a bloody Hydra. Cut off your head and another one grows back."

"Well I learned from the best," Hermione says coolly, "I am married to Draco Malfoy."

"Yeah, and you are more than just a Malfoy in name these days," Harry says, "You even act like one. I hope you're happy about that."

"Can we actually do what we came here to do?" Oliver asks, "We're here to work this out, not abuse each other."

"You're Hermione's new researcher?" Harry asks with a raised eyebrow, "Good luck with that."

"I think you'll find you were the one who screwed things up Harry, not the other way around," Hermione says as she sat down, "So I would leave Oliver alone if I were you."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night," Harry says irritably.

Chelsea rolls her eyes, "Do you two get off on this?"

Harry sniggers at this and before Hermione can come up with another catty response the door opens again and their boss, Roger Ford, walks in. He is a tall handsome man in his 40's with a muscular build and greying brown hair. He is friendly enough, but tough when he needs to be.

"Good afternoon all," He says, taking the seat at the end of the table, "I assume you all know what we are here to discuss."

"Yes," Chelsea says with a false smile, "Why exactly do you want me to work with a has-been who is twice my age?"

Hermione glares at the younger woman, "Has-been? You've barely been around, you know nothing about this business!"

"Ladies!" Roger snaps, "We do have our reasons. We feel that the QWC listeners are a very diverse group so the show presenting the news and events from the QWC should have a range of presenters. Chelsea, you appeal to the younger listeners and Hermione, you appeal to the middle-aged listeners," he says diplomatically.

"Middle-aged?" Hermione asks in disbelief.

"You're married and you have children," Roger says, "That appeals to the middle-aged housewives and the fact you look good for your age does appeal to the middle-aged men bracket. It's good for promotion."

"So you want me to be eye-candy for middle-aged men?" Hermione asks in annoyance.

"Does that make me eye-candy for the middle-aged women?" Harry jokes.

"You're Harry Potter," Chelsea says with a smirk, "You can be eye-candy for anyone."

Harry tries to ignore the fact that Hermione is glaring at him right now, but he can feel her burning gaze on him and it is hard not to smirk. So she claims she doesn't have feelings for him but she is jealous he has slept with Chelsea. Isn't that interesting?

Roger laughs, "That's true, having Harry Potter working on the show is a great asset and of course Oliver, you are one of the finest Quidditch reporters of this generation."

"Thank you sir," Oliver says with a smile.

Roger smiles, "So that's the target audience. We want to trial it with one live show from here in London and if it works you'll be off to Australia for a month for the pre-cup events and coverage. You'll both gain from this, it will give you a boost of popularity from younger listeners Hermione and you'll get your old show back. As for you Chelsea it will give you a bigger fan-base so you can launch your own show, something with a wider scope than school kids on their lunch break."

Chelsea nods thoughtfully, "I'm willing to give it a try. There's a lot to gain from it."

"I'll try it too," Hermione says. She's unhappy about the aspect of working with Harry but she knows Ford is a man of his word. If he swears to give her back her show if she does this, then it's worth the risk.

"I do think there will be clashes," Hermione adds, trying very hard _not_ to look at Chelsea.

"Oh, I fully expect there to be clashes," Roger says as he gets to his feet, "But the entertainment business is changing so you are both going to have to suck it up and pretend that you like each other. The trial episode airs tomorrow at 9pm so you four better get your heads together and come up with some material."

There are nods all around as Roger leaves the room, leaving it in momentary silence as the four people look around at each other.

"Okay," Chelsea says with a smile, "I think we should divide and conquer, have the boys researching while we present the coverage but get them on for little snippets. Then when the games start we can be in the studio, while they present from the games."

"You're the junior here," Hermione points out, "You're here to learn from me, not take over."

"Look, this was my show before you jumped into it!" Chelsea says hotly, "It is supposed to be Harry and I presenting-"

"Well Harry's incapable of presenting a show without becoming a wasted wreck halfway through so you ought to be glad that I'm here!" Hermione snaps, "I'm willing to help you but you have got to let me."

Chelsea glares at her, "I don't want your help. I've had success on my own, I don't need you to get more despite what Ford seems to think."

"Look, I think you two should just talk this out," Harry cuts in, "You'll like each other a lot when you get to know each other."

"Well you would know, you've been getting to know her plenty," Hermione says sharply.

"You're married, why do you care?" Chelsea asks pointedly.

Hermione scoffs, "You think you're special do you? You aren't the first little fangirl Harry's slept with and trust me, you won't be the last."

Chelsea actually looks a little hurt as she gets to her feet and storms towards the door exclaiming, "I cannot work with you!"

Harry gets to his feet, glaring daggers at Hermione, "What the hell did you talk to her like that for?" he barks.

Oliver stands up quickly and leaves, mumbling about leaving them to work things out.

"She's a little girl, Harry. She doesn't know anything about how to present a successful show," Hermione says.

"She knows a whole lot more than you think and she's a nice person when you give her a chance!" Harry exclaims angrily, "You always hated being judged Hermione! I remember you shouting and screaming about purebloods never wanting to listen to your show! She's a muggle-born, she's exactly where you were and you are treating her like all those purebloods treated you. Marrying Malfoy didn't make you a pureblood, it didn't make you any better than anyone else so get the hell off your high horse!"

Hermione stares at him for a moment, "I-"

"Just do me a favour and listen to her show before you judge how good or bad a presenter she is," Harry says hotly, "Because I did a run-through with her this morning and I think she's just as good as you were when you started out."

"Harry-" Hermione begins but it is too late. Harry is already halfway to the door, he doesn't even look back at her as he leaves the room, slamming the door shut behind him.

* * *

"I feel like a horrible person."

"What did you say to her?" Hannah asks as she walks into the living room with a tray of tea.

"Some pretty nasty things," Hermione says with a shake of her head, "Are Frank and Alice here?"

"No, they're with their tutor," Hannah says, "So you can speak freely."

"I basically called her a slut," Hermione says with a frown, "You remember the things I used to say about Lavender?"

Hannah nods, "She reminds you of her, doesn't she?"

"In a lot of ways, yeah," Hermione admits, "But Harry was right to yell at me. I've completely made a judgement on her before I got to know her. She's in the same situation I was in when I started out, and I treated her the way the purebloods treated me then."

"Look Hermione, I hate to be the one to say this to you," Hannah says with a frown, "But marrying Draco did change you. Not straight away of course. But over time you have changed and it isn't a big change, but there are little things. You've become a bit more vindictive over the years and you _have_ become more judgemental."

Hermione lets her head drop into her hands, "I know. Working with Chelsea is making me realise that, Hannah. I wouldn't have done that once upon a time. I would have taken her under my wing and that's what I should have done. She's just 21, she needs someone looking out for her, although I suppose Harry's doing that."

"Harry's sleeping with her?" Hannah asks in surprise.

Hermione nods, "Which made me jealous and she called me out on it. She's right, what right do I have to be jealous? I'm married and Harry and I haven't been together for a long time."

"You're right, you don't have the right to be jealous. But you are," Hannah points out.

"And my marriage is crumbling, Draco practically leapt on the idea of me doing this QWC thing. He wants me to be away more and I know I suggested it but I didn't expect him to be quite so eager," Hermione says with a sigh, "And I get that marriage is hard and you have to work at it but…I'm not sure I want to anymore."

"Are you saying what I think you're saying?" Hannah asks in disbelief.

"I don't know what I'm saying," Hermione says honestly, "But Draco is giving up on me and I'm sick of pretending."

"Pretending about what?" Hannah asks, "Loving Draco?"

"No, I do love Draco...or at least I did," Hermione sighs, "But I'm tired of pretending that Harry means nothing to me. Draco knows it and I know it, I don't know how much longer we can go on like this for. Things were okay when the kids were little but they're older now and things have changed between Draco and I."

"Are you leaving him Hermione?" Hannah asks bluntly.

"No," Hermione replies, "I…I don't know what I'm doing Hannah. It just doesn't feel right anymore."

"Look Hermione, you've got to figure this out because regardless about how you feel about Draco, or Harry, or whoever, there are two kids here at risk of getting hurt," Hannah says.

"I know that Hannah," Hermione says darkly, "Everything I've done has been for them. The reason I didn't get back together with Harry right after he got out of St. Mungo's was because of Cassie, because I didn't want to put her in danger. And then the longer I stayed with Draco the more comfortable it got, and Harry and I became friends again, and it was fine. I could live with it."

"So whats changed all of a sudden?" Hannah asks.

"The practice re-launch for the old show," Hermione says honestly, "It changed everything. It brought all the old feelings back and when I was with Harry I felt like myself again. I felt like I had been surrounded by this cloud or something then it cleared and I was the way I used to be with Harry."

"The way you used to be with Harry was an emotional wreck," Hannah says darkly.

"Before all the mess I mean Han, when things were good. I felt like that again, I've never felt like that with Draco," Hermione says, trying her best to explain what is going on inside her head.

"So why the hell did you marry him?" Hannah asks with a shake of her head.

"You know why I married him, I was pregnant," Hermione says, "And it wouldn't have been the proper thing to do in his eyes if we didn't get married. I did love him but that wasn't the reason I married him."

"Your life is seriously screwed up, Mione."

"I know that," Hermione says darkly, "But not everyone can marry their perfectly undamaged war hero and have two little kids and a perfect life Hannah."

"Neville isn't perfect and he's certainly not undamaged, but you wouldn't know that Hermione," Hannah says with a glare her friends way, "Because you aren't the one who has to listen to him scream his parents names in his sleep, along with Harry's, and Merlin knows who else's."

"I'm sorry Hannah," Hermione says, her eyes on the floor.

"I'm not Chelsea Clifton, I'm not a naïve 21-year-old girl," Hannah says coolly, "If you want to take a dig at me you better be prepared for a comeback."

"I know Hannah, I'm sorry," Hermione says, still not looking up, "But you said it, I'm screwed up beyond belief. I shouldn't want Harry back, not after everything that happened. I should hate him."

"But you don't," Hannah says, "Because you know it wasn't him, not really. If he hadn't been an alcoholic he wouldn't have been that way. And then the alcohol was because of the war and really you weren't surprised that he finally snapped and couldn't take it anymore because you'd been expecting it for a long time."

"How is it that you know me so well?" Hermione asks, looking up at her friend.

Hannah smiles a little, "Because I've known you since we were 11. I know the way you think and I know how you feel about Harry better than anyone else because I was there throughout the whole thing."

Hermione nods and then promptly bursts into tears. Hannah's eyes widen slightly because Hermione never cries, in fact the last time Hannah had seen her cry was when she came to her doorstep 12 years ago and told her in a flood of tears that she was pregnant. Hannah moves across the room and wraps her arms around her friend, "It's going to work out in some way Hermione. You've just got to do the QWC and hope for the best."

Hermione nods and sniffles, then the door opens and Neville walks in, soaking wet from the torrential rain outside.

"Hey Hannah, you'll never guess what Harry was just saying about-" Neville then spots Hermione and says, "Oh, hey Hermione."

Hermione wipes her eyes with the handkerchief Hannah has just handed her, "So you were with Harry? I bet he was talking about how horrible a person I am."

Neville frowns, "Uh, not exactly. He was complaining about how he missed Hermione Granger and saying that you really had become Hermione Malfoy."

At these words Hermione promptly bursts into tears for a second time and Hannah glares at Neville, "I had just gotten her calmed down, go to your greenhouse!"

Neville looks flustered and nods, walking through the living room towards the kitchen where the back door is, "I'll just go out to my greenhouse," He says quickly as he goes out into the torrential rain once more.

Hannah sighs, "It's true in a sense Hermione. Being with Draco has changed you, like I said earlier."

"But I don't want to be this way anymore," Hermione sobs.

"Then take the time out for the QWC and re-evaluate how you feel after that," Hannah says in a calming voice, "You can't end a 12 year marriage overnight. You've got to give yourself time to think this through."

Hermione nods again and sniffs, "Merlin, Hannah I'm sorry."

"I've not seen you this bad for a long time," Hannah says honestly.

"Harry has this effect on me," Hermione says with a sigh.

"Which is why I'm not so sure he's good for you," Hannah says honestly, "But I can't tell you who you should or shouldn't love. You'll have to work that one out on your own."

"I know," Hermione says, sighing deeply at the prospect.

* * *

 _Knock. Knock._

"Come in," Chelsea calls.

The door opens and Harry walks in. She smiles weakly at him, "Hey. Come to feel sorry for me?"

"No, I just wanted to see how you were," Harry says honestly, "Hermione said some pretty uncalled for things which I yelled at her for."

"She's a bitch, isn't she?" Chelsea asks angrily.

"She never used to be," Harry says, "Even now that side of her comes out rarely. It's since she married Malfoy, he's brought out a nastier side of her."

"Definitely not her soulmate if you go by that anonymous article in the prophet," Chelsea says, "They're supposed to bring out the best in you, not the worst."

"Yeah well sometimes things don't quite work out the way they should," Harry shrugs, "She should never have had to marry Malfoy in the first place, but she did."

"What are you talking about?" Chelsea frowns.

Harry shakes his head, "Nothing. Look I need to get going but I just wanted to say that what Hermione says about me sleeping with fangirls isn't true. Well, I mean it is true but I was younger so the age gap wasn't so big. I wasn't lying when I said I felt bad about that."

Chelsea smiles, "Well I appreciate the fact you wanted to let me know. But I wasn't going to ask, all famous men come with emotional baggage."

"I have more of that than your average famous guy, trust me," Harry says with a sad sort of smile as he leaves her office.

* * *

"Merlin Neville, I have _so_ had it with her-"

"Harry," Neville says with a raised eyebrow at the man who has just wandered into greenhouse three, "I'm teaching."

Harry looks at the wide-eyed class of kids clad in red and yellow, Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs.

"What year is this Nev?" Harry asks curiously.

"4th year," Neville replies, looking amused and exasperated.

"Ah, what disguise are you in today Teddy?" Harry asks, scanning the kids and spotting Teddy sporting bright purple hair and blue eyes, "Nice look."

Teddy smirks, "Why are you in my Herbology class Uncle Harry?"

"Because I need to talk to Professor Longbottom," Harry says offhandedly, "I'm going to help myself to coffee while you finish your class Nev."

Neville rolls his eyes and one of the Gryffindors hands shoots up.

"Yes Miss. Robson?"

"Why is Harry Potter here?"

"I'm here because your Professor is lucky enough to have me as a best friend," Harry says with a false smile at Neville before he disappears into Neville's office at the back of the greenhouse.

Neville joins him 10 minutes later when his class has finished. He rolls his eyes, "Do you have any idea how many questions I just had to answer because of your impromptu visit? I do have a phone you know, you could have just texted me."

"You never reply," Harry says, "And I needed to actually talk to someone."

"About Hermione I'm guessing from your entrance?" Neville teases.

"Yeah," Harry says, "I did think your classes would be finished. My timing is slightly off."

Neville just chuckles, "So what did Hermione do this time?"

"Well I kind of started it, but she's being a judgemental bitch," Harry says angrily.

"How did you start it?" Neville asks suspiciously.

"I tried to kiss her and she fired me," Harry says sheepishly, "So Chelsea Clifton hired me and we actually weirdly hit it off so then I sort of...well I basically slept with her-"

"Chelsea Clifton?" Neville barks, "Harry, I taught Chelsea Clifton all through Hogwarts and you slept with her!"

"Neville, that is not the important thing right now-"

"But Harry, it's wrong-"

"I know it's wrong, I already feel like a dirty old man alright?" Harry snaps, "But that's not important right now. What's important is the fact that Hermione has turned into Malfoy, she's a bloody female version of him! She's manipulative-"

"She's always been a little manipulative," Neville cuts in.

"She's vindictive-"

"Harry, did you see what she did to Ron for getting together with Lavender?" Neville asks in disbelief.

"And she's judgemental! She judged Chelsea and basically called her a slut for no reason, Chelsea did nothing wrong. She is just jealous that I'd slept with her," Harry says with a note of finality.

"Harry, she's always been a little manipulate and a little vindictive. Judgemental I'll give you, that's new. But Hermione's not changed that much, you were just too in love with her to notice the bad things before. Malfoy has probably made some traits worse but they've always been there."

Harry sighs, "I yelled at her for the way she spoke to Chelsea and I said some horrible things. But she fired me and I think she really meant she was firing me from her life, not just as her researcher."

"I don't know why you're sticking up for Chelsea so much, you barely know her and she's half your age," Neville says.

"Drop the morality chat Neville," Harry says darkly, "It's not Chelsea. It's the way Hermione is treating Chelsea, it would be the same whoever she was acting like that towards. We did that practice run for the new show before she fired me and I had these glimpses into who she used to be, who she was with me."

"She was an emotional wreck with you Harry," Neville says with a sigh, "You were so up and down, you were a different person when you were drunk. She was scared of you but she loved you, and the last thing she wanted to do was give up on you."

"But she did, because she married Malfoy," Harry says bitterly.

"Because she was pregnant with his baby, of course she had to marry him. Can you imagine the scandal if Hermione Granger, a muggle-born had given birth to the bastard child of Draco Malfoy?" Neville asks.

"But she never used to care about scandals!" Harry says in frustration.

"Her career was just kicking off, it would have ruined her," Neville says gently, "And I expect she really did have feelings for Malfoy, even if she doesn't anymore."

"So you don't think she loves him anymore either?" Harry asks.

"I don't think anyone could love Draco Malfoy for more than a couple of years," Neville retorts, "Hes a sleazy politician and Hermione hates politics. I mean come on, it's a marriage of convenience and I think she did love him for a little while but then there will always be her feelings for you."

"What do you know about that?" Harry asks with a sigh.

"More than you'd think. Hermione and I were good friends at school, whenever you and Ron pushed her out for something stupid it was me she hung out with," Neville says, "And she never stopped talking about you."

"I should have had her," Harry says, letting his head drop into his hands, "That should have been my family, not hers with Malfoy. What did I do to deserve any of this?"

"You didn't do anything to deserve it," Neville says honestly, "You just handled the guilt of the war badly and you didn't respond to help. There were so many chances Harry, she gave you four chances and she would have given you a fifth if she hadn't had her thing with Malfoy and gotten pregnant."

"Do you reckon I'll ever get another chance?" Harry asks hopefully.

"Honestly, don't bank on it," Neville says, "Above all Hermione is logical and practical. If you were in her shoes, with two kids to worry about, would you take a chance with someone as volatile as you?"

"I get it, I know her kids are her priority," Harry says honestly, "But I'm not volatile, not anymore. I've not had a sip of anything alcoholic for nearly 12 years."

"Yeah but what happens if you do?" Neville asks.

"What do you mean?" Harry asks with a frown.

"What happens if something bad happens and you resort to drinking? What happens then? You could do some irreparable damage to yourself or someone else and nobody wants to take that chance. Especially not Hermione, she's seen what you can do, what you can be like when you've had a drink," Neville says bluntly.

"I just don't think I'll ever be happy with anyone apart from Hermione," Harry says weakly.

"Well you're going to have to try and learn because you lost Hermione a long time ago and you need to stop holding on to her," Neville says, patting Harry on the shoulder, "I'm sorry but that's just the way it is."

"No, you're right," Harry says with a nod, "I needed someone to be honest with me, thanks Neville."

Neville nods, "I wish I could say you're welcome but I don't feel like I helped very much."

"You did," Harry assures him, "And I'm just going to have to suck it up and act like an adult because I'm stuck with Hermione till the end of the summer on this special QWC show that Chelsea's got me on."

"All summer?" Neville asks in surprise.

"Yeah," Harry sighs, "There's the pre-cup coverage for a month in Australia, then the qualifiers, the semi, the final, it's a big deal because Britain's hosting the final this year. That and it looks like England, Scotland and Ireland have a good chance of doing well. I feel sorry for Wales."

Neville smiles, "You're evading the question. How long are you two going to be travelling around together for?"

"The first qualifier starts in just over a month and we have a month in Australia for pre-cup coverage like I said. Then there are 15 matches, 2 a week to allow time for the match to run over which-"

"Yeah I can do maths, that means it will take about 2 months for all the games and the first game starts at the start of June. So the final will be at the start of August."

"Or possibly the middle of August," Harry says, "If one game runs over by a ridiculous amount of time it will push the whole schedule back. It basically means Hermione and I will be working closely together for about 3 months straight."

"And you're sure that's not going to be a problem?" Neville asks.

Harry shrugs, "I don't think so. But if it becomes something-"

"She's married, whether you respect that or not you have to remember it. Are you really okay with the idea of sleeping with another man's wife?" Neville asks.

"No," Harry says with a sigh, "I just meant if things are going badly between her and Malfoy or…I don't know. Look, it will be fine. I'll be able to handle it, it's not like it's just the two of us. Chelsea will be there too and Hermione's new researcher."

"Who's her new researcher?" Neville asks curiously.

"Oliver Wood," Harry says, "So at least I get on well enough with him. Chances are I won't see her that much anyway because I'll be off presenting from the stadium and she'll be in the studio with Chelsea."

"Whatever you say," Neville says, "But just text me or floo me if you need anything. Don't do anything stupid."

"I won't Nev," Harry promises his best friend.

* * *

As soon as Hermione gets home she texts Harry. She has to bite her pride and do it because nobody else will have the information she needs.

" _Do you know where Chelsea lives? I need to go and apologise."_

She leaves it there and gets dinner sorted out. Draco is home early so they eat as a family and talk about what Scorpius and Cassie have done with their tutor today and it is all perfectly comfortable like it always is around the kids. But things change later when the kids go to bed, just like they have done for the past few weeks.

Hermione checks her phone as Draco does the washing up. She realises that she has a response from Harry which starts with Chelsea's address and finishes with, _"...And the fact you are apologising gives me some faith that Hermione Granger is still in there somewhere."_

She smiles a little and slips her phone back into her pocket, Scorpius has gone up to bed and Cassie is in her bedroom so she is safe to head out now.

"I need to head out tonight, Draco."

Draco frowns and looks up from the sink, "Where?"

"I was pretty harsh on Chelsea earlier today," Hermione sighs, "I'm going to apologise."

Draco raises an eyebrow at her, "You don't need to apologise to her."

"Yes I do," Hermione says, feeling a bit snappish, "Because I judged her just like the purebloods judged me when I was starting out on the radio. I know how it feels and I shouldn't have done it to someone else."

"That's just the way the world works Hermione," Draco says, "Everyone needs criticism to fuel them."

"Well I don't think that's the right way to do things, so I'm apologising," Hermione says, "I'm not a judgemental person Draco and I feel the right thing to do is apologise."

Draco nods, "Well I'll see you later. Will you be late?"

"I don't think so," Hermione says as she walks towards the door, "But don't wait up."

Draco nods again and a dark look flashes across his face. Hermione knows that he thinks she is meeting up with Harry, she knows that he thinks she is having an affair. She knows all of this but she can't do or say anything to convince Draco otherwise.

Hermione leaves their house and apparates once she is out of the front gate. That is the advantage of not having any other houses nearby, she is free to apparate without looking around suspiciously. She emerges in an alley near Chelsea's block of flats and she actually feels nervous as she hitches a ride up to the top floor on the elevator.

She bites back her pride for the second time that night as she knocks on the door and hears footsteps padding towards it. Chelsea opens the door and does a double-take, "Uh, what are you doing here?"

"Harry gave me your address," Hermione says honestly, "I came by to apologise."

Chelsea frowns, "Do you want to come in?"

Hermione nods and Chelsea pulls the door back for Hermione to walk in, "I won't stay long, I don't want to keep you. What I said earlier was out of line, I made a judgement before I even tried to get to know you and I shouldn't have done that. I know what it feels like to be where you are, a Muggle-born in a business which is primarily pureblood dominated. They looked down on me and judged me too when I was starting out, I shouldn't have done the same to you."

"I'm impressed that you're apologising," Chelsea admits, "You come across as quite a proud person."

"I am," Hermione says, "But not too proud to admit when I'm wrong and I was wrong earlier. Harry and I have a complicated history, I was jealous."

"But you're married," Chelsea says in disbelief.

"Like I said, it's a long complicated story," Hermione says with a slightly sad smile, "One I don't really want to get into tonight."

"That's okay," Chelsea says, "Do you want to stay for a little while? We need to work out a format for the show by tomorrow morning so…"

"Yeah," Hermione says, dropping her handbag by the door, "I think that's a good idea."

"Make yourself at home," Chelsea says as she sits down in an armchair.

Hermione sits down on the sofa and kicks her boots off, "What were your ideas for the show?"

"Well, I was thinking the best format would be for us to be in the studio for the pre-cup coverage all of the time," Chelsea says, "And for Harry and Oliver to be out interviewing players. Obviously Australia is important in this cup because they're helping Britain financially so we can afford to host it, so I thought we could have one of them in Australia and one in Britain."

Hermione nods, "And they would be doing the star player, up and coming new player segments? That sort of thing?"

Chelsea nods, "Yes, exactly. Meanwhile we would be in the studio with guests, the head of the Quidditch league, the Heads of different sports departments at different ministries, and similar people connected with Quidditch."

"That's all fine and well, but that isn't enough to cover a half hour show once a week. We'll need something more and listeners will want a fun, interactive aspect too," Hermione says.

"What do you have in mind?" Chelsea asks.

"Well I was thinking about something from Harry and I's old show. We used to do a challenge every week, and then the person who won the most overall would win the series," Hermione says, "I wondered about doing a Quidditch related version of that."

"That would be great," Chelsea says, "That was my favourite part of your show. I only came in at series 5 when I was at Hogwarts but I used to sit up in the summer and listen to the late night repeats of the older series with you and Harry co-hosting it. I always preferred it when you did it together."

"So did I," Hermione admits, "But it wasn't very good for Harry, the showbiz life."

"He's pretty messed up isn't he?" Chelsea asks.

"He's been through a lot and his way of coping with his pain is by numbing it with alcohol," Hermione says, "You know what our life is like. After-parties when a series ends, promotion tours, you are just surrounded by alcohol constantly."

Chelsea nods, "That's why he likes to be in the shadows, not the limelight. Right?"

"Yeah," Hermione says simply, "Which is why I wanted to give you a fair warning. If you do get involved with Harry, romantically I mean, you should be aware of all of this. He seems perfect, but too perfect. His temper can be terrifying, especially when mixed with alcohol."

Chelsea watches Hermione for a moment, "I appreciate the heads up, but at the moment we're just friends with...benefits."

Hermione nods, feeling a little awkward for the first time that night.

Chelsea just continues as if nothing has happened, "I do think we should ease Harry out of the shadows a little bit. Obviously he and Oliver will do a little bit of presenting from the field. But why don't we have two challenges? One for you and I to do in the studio and one for Harry and Oliver to do in their respective countries?"

"I like that idea," Hermione says honestly, "We should brainstorm tomorrow with the boys about what challenges would be good. But I think that's a great way to end the show, it's always good fun."

"So that would be our three segments for the pre-cup show," Chelsea says thoughtfully as she grabs a notebook and a pen and begins to scribble, "The first section would be the interview, then an advert break, then the boys in their areas doing the player interviews. Then the second ad break, and finally the challenge."

"The challenge won't take that long, we'll need a small filler to fill another 10 minutes in that last segment," Hermione says, frowning and eying up Chelsea's notepad.

"Oh here have this one," Chelsea says, throwing her one from underneath the table, "Do you want a pen or a quill?"

"A pen," Hermione says, "They are so much easier to write with."

"Tell me about it right?" Chelsea says, "Some things in the wizarding world are so backwards! I'm glad I figured out how to work Muggle technology."

Hermione laughs and says, "I know, in some ways we're so advanced and in other ways so Victorian," She scribbles some of her own ideas down and they are silent for a moment as they contemplate their 10-minute filler.

"How about a little news segment?" Hermione asks, "You know, things like any injuries or players which might look like they will be out for the games. Or players getting married, having children, any transfers, that sort of thing."

"That could easily fill 10 minutes," Chelsea says with a nod, "A weekly round-up of Quidditch related events."

Hermione nods, "But we'll have to work to make the show appeal to everyone. We'll have to make sure we have chemistry and bounce off each other and your thing with Harry will help appeal to listeners if you flirt every so often."

"You're okay with that?" Chelsea asks, "Us flirting in front of you?"

"I'm married, I have to be okay with that," Hermione sighs, "And it will be good for the show, whether I like it or not."

Chelsea chuckles, "I can see why Harry says he thought you were a hat-stall for Slytherin."

Hermione rolls her eyes and Chelsea says, "That's not actually an insult you know. It means you're cunning, clever, sneaky, and good at what you do. In our business you should take it as a compliment."

"I know I should," Hermione says, "But I'm married to a Slytherin, I know the pitfalls. Too much ambition, too much power...it can be a bad thing."

"It's always a bad thing in the wrong hands," Chelsea says wisely and while Hermione is contemplating those words she gets back to the talk of the show, "But anyway, yes that will help with the appeal. We'll need to insert some humour which should come naturally for Harry and Oliver, that will help too."

"It has to be accessible to older and younger listeners, so no swearing," Hermione adds.

Chelsea hums her agreement, "Yes and we can't make it too sexy and male orientated. We want to appeal to female Quidditch fans too."

"We'll make sure we interview a good variety of people, not just men. We don't want to appear sexist, or racist, so we mustn't just interview British people," Hermione says as they note all of this down.

Chelsea smiles, "I think we've got this sorted. At least provisionally. It's enough to write a transcript at the very least."

Hermione glances at the clock, it is 11.30pm, "Do you have any coffee?"

Chelsea looks confused for a moment and then realises what she means, "You want to write the transcript now?"

"The trial show is on air at 9pm tomorrow, we kind of _need_ a transcript written before then," Hermione says logically.

Chelsea smiles and gets to her feet, "I'll boil the kettle."

Hermione chuckles and finds she actually really likes this girl. She clearly has her problems and she clearly has a troubled past but she has worked hard to get where she is and she has a brain. She reminds Hermione a lot of herself when she was starting out. As Harry had said, she does like Chelsea having gotten to know her a little. It only confirms what she thought and what Harry and Hannah thought, that Draco has made her into a more judgemental version of herself.

* * *

Draco has set up a small temporary campaigning office in an old run-down shop in Diagon Alley. It is where he and his Mother are managing their affairs in his run for Minister. Several people are working on the campaign and helping him promote himself, one of those people being Pansy, who is his events manager.

"Morning, Draco," Pansy says brightly on Monday morning.

Draco smiles weakly at her, "Morning, Pansy," he says.

Pansy frowns, "What's wrong?" she asks as they step into his office together.

"Hermione went out last night and didn't come home this morning," Draco shrugs, "The kids were asking for her and I had to make up an excuse."

"What do you think she is doing?" Pansy asks as she hands him coffee.

"She says she is with Chelsea Clifton working out a transcript for their new QWC show, but who knows if that's the truth," Draco says miserably.

Pansy shakes her head, "I'm sorry Draco, do you want me to just talk about work to get your mind off it?"

Draco smiles a little, "Yeah, that's a great idea."

Pansy nods and says, "Well I thought we should talk about how you can target different audiences. The purebloods for example."

"Percy Weasley is a blood traitor," Draco says, "And I'm a pureblood, isn't that enough?"

"Not when you are married to a muggle-born and you have two children that are half-bloods," Pansy points out.

"That makes you worse than a Weasley or a blood traitor in pureblood circles," Narcissa cuts in as she steps into the office, "Pansy is right, you will have to work to win the purebloods back. They won't just accept you because of your blood status."

"So what do you suggest?" Draco asks.

"Events," Pansy says, "Like the ones we went to as kids. There is a ball this weekend for Zara Zabini's birthday, everyone will be there and I talked to Blaise. You are invited as long as you don't bring your wife."

Draco sighs, "So it's Minister or Hermione?"

"You have got to walk a very thin line Draco," Narcissa says, "Be a loving Husband and Father as far as the half-bloods are concerned, and tell the truth to the purebloods."

"The truth?" Draco asks irritably.

"That you only married Hermione because she was pregnant," Narcissa says simply, "They will understand that you did it out of honour and integrity and it will be a good step forward in them welcoming you back."

"Hermione will hate it," Draco says, "And I shouldn't have to hide her from them."

"Why?" Narcissa asks, "She doesn't hide her relationship with Potter, does she?"

"She isn't having an affair, Mother," Draco says under his breath.

"Well that's a matter of speaking Draco and we both know that," Narcissa says coolly, "She has played a diplomatic game for years, keeping you and Potter both in her life. What you are doing is no different, you are telling a different truth to each party to win their votes. This is politics, you should have learned that by now."

Draco turns to Pansy who smiles and says, "Your Mother is right Draco, this _is_ politics."

Draco nods and says, "Alright. This Zabini ball then, what's the dress code?"

Pansy smiles, "Formal and Zara will want a gift of course."

Draco nods, feeling rather scared at the daunting task of worming his way back in with a group of people who have come to hate him for marrying Hermione. He had fallen out of favour with many of them after the war anyway. Not too many people had gotten arrested in the initial year after it. However since then several Death Eaters have been rounded up and sent to Azkaban, leaving a new generation of family heads. Luckily for Draco, he had gone to school with most of them.

"There are 12 families on the Wizengamot," Pansy says, "6 purebloods and 6 half-bloods or families that have mixed with Muggles. To become Minister, you will need to get 8 votes of those 12."

"We can count Potter out," Draco says, "He doesn't represent a family, just himself and his vote will certainly go to Weasley."

"And of course the Weasley family vote will go to Weasley" Narcissa says, "Assuming we can convince all of the purebloods to vote for you, this means you must get the votes of at least two half-bloods. It will not be easy, the Corner family are represented by Michael who is married to Ginny Weasley. The Abbott family are represented by Hector, whose sister is the wife of Neville Longbottom."

Pansy nods, "Your best chance is trying to win over the Bones and Goldstein families. Both fought in the war for the light and both will remember the side you were on. But they aren't so personally connected with the Weasley family."

"The reforms you spoke of are very likely to draw in Bones and Goldstein," Narcissa says, "However the purebloods may also be difficult to reach out to."

"Longbottom is going to vote Weasley, nothing we do will convince him otherwise," Draco says, "Which means I need 3 votes from the half-bloods. I think Hector Abbott could be convinced by some of my reforms though. As for the other purebloods, well the Greengrass family were always close to ours. Theo Nott and I were good friends all the way through Hogwarts so I think we can count on his vote. I think we can also guarantee a vote from the Zabini family with Blaise at its head."

"As it is you'll have MacMillan and Davies to contend with. MacMillan won't be hard to topple but Davies might be a little more difficult," Pansy says, "I think you will easily get the votes from the purebloods once you are back in that circle again. The hard part here will be getting that 3rd half-blood vote and that's vital to you getting the majority."

Draco nods thoughtfully, "Well I'm glad I decided to hire you Pansy. Tell me what to do and I'll do as you say."

Narcissa smiles slightly and says, "I am grateful for your help Pansy. Draco has always needed strong women around him."

She gets up and leaves, and Draco rolls his eyes, "She never really approved of me marrying Hermione but then again, I don't think anyone in our circle did."

"It was a shock," Pansy agrees, "But I think, like your Mother says, you will be able to repair the damage with the purebloods. I really think you have a good chance of becoming Minister, Draco."

Draco smiles at her and pats her on the hand, "Thanks Pansy. It really is great having you here."

 **TBC :)  
**


	5. Welcome to QWC Weekly

**Fade Into You**

 **Chapter 5 - Welcome to QWC Weekly  
**

By the time Hermione and Chelsea walk into the studio where they will be airing the first episode of the show at 8.30pm, they are both absolutely exhausted. Neither of them have slept apart from a quick cat nap at Chelsea's flat that afternoon and they had gone through Merlin knows how much coffee the night before.

Harry and Oliver are both waiting for them, each holding a cup of coffee. Harry holds out a cup to Chelsea and Oliver hands one to Hermione, "Double latte, is that right?"

"I normally have it with cream," Hermione yawns, "But anything will do right now."

"Have either of you two slept?" Harry asks.

Chelsea shakes her head, "Not apart from that hour nap we just managed to grab. We stayed up all night writing this," she says, dropping a notepad on the desk.

"What's that?"

"The trial show transcript," Hermione says as she uses a spell which creates 3 new copies of the notebook, "Grab one and we'll get started."

"So you two talked then?" Oliver asks, glancing at Harry in amusement.

"All night," Chelsea nods, "And we came up with a damn good transcript, and a concept for the show."

"What's the concept?" Harry asks curiously.

"Well it will be in three segments which is typical for a 30 – 45 minute show," Hermione says.

"Oh yeah, I did mean to tell you, Ford says the pre-cup coverage would be 30 minutes but when the matches start it will be 45 minutes long," Harry says.

"We figured," Chelsea says, "So the format will be an interview segment with two figures from the Quidditch world, and then an advert break."

As Chelsea yawns, Hermione adds, "And the second segment will be you two. One of you will be in Australia interviewing star players there because of the fact this is basically a joint-hosted cup."

"And the other one of you will be here interviewing players, the new up and coming talent of Britain and all that jazz," Chelsea says with jazz hands.

Hermione chuckles at the reference while Harry and Oliver just look bemused.

"Sounds good," Harry says, "So who is in Australia and who is here?"

"Well we thought we'd leave that up to yourselves," Hermione says, "But Oliver does have more links to British Quidditch having played for Puddlemere and England."

"So you want me in Australia?" Harry asks.

Chelsea nods, "It would make more sense. But as long as you two are happy with that arrangement?"

"I'm fine with that," Oliver says, "I'll get to travel plenty for the actual games."

"Yeah, I'm okay with that too," Harry says.

"Perfect," Chelsea smiles, "So for the final segment, we will do a 10-minute round-up of events in the Quidditch world, injuries, drop outs, you know the stuff."

"Then we'll finish off with a double challenge," Hermione says, "Chelsea and I will do one in the studio and you two will do one in your respective countries. At the end of the series we'll have two winners."

Harry smiles, "Like our old show?"

"That was where we got the idea," Chelsea says with a nod, "And we thought listeners could send in the challenges for us."

"I think that's a great idea," Oliver says, "It sounds like a lot of fun."

* * *

After some rehearsing of the transcript and a couple of brief catnaps, it is almost time for the trial episode to go on air.

As if on cue the door opens and Sebastian, Hermione's manager, and Peter, Chelsea's manager, walk in with Roger Ford.

"Did you manage to come up with something?" Ford asks hopefully.

"A full transcript," Hermione says, holding up the notebook, "It took all night and a good deal of rehearsing but it's good."

"Excellent," Ford says with a slight smirk, "I had a feeling that might happen but I'm not here to gloat. I'm here to wish you luck."

"Thank you sir," The four say in unison as Ford nods and leaves the room.

"Are the guests in the waiting room?" Hermione asks.

Sebastian nods, "Well done getting Krum on as a guest, I don't know how you pulled that one out on such short notice."

Hermione blushes a little, "Personal ties," She says as Harry sniggers.

"Oliver, you'll be interviewing Ginny in your segment," Hermione says, she and Chelsea have already worked out that they will be interviewing Viktor Krum and Michael Corner, who is Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sport. That is how he and Ginny had reconciled, they sort of came as a package deals on shows like this.

"Harry, you'll be interviewing that new Australian player, the one who has broken a lot of world records in the last year, Mitchell Clarke," Hermione tells him.

"Wow how did you get him on short notice?" Harry asks in disbelief.

"Chelsea has…connections," Hermione says sheepishly.

"What, him too?" Harry asks, slightly amused.

"It was a while ago, but yeah," Chelsea says as she laughs.

"Clarke, both the Corners and Krum are ready to come on so don't worry about that," Sebastian says as he opens a door to the little observation room with the controls to put the show on air, "We're just going to get ready to go live."

"Thanks Seb, let the listeners know it's a trial show so it might be a little bit tongue and cheek at times," Hermione says.

"Of course we will," Sebastian says.

"And do try and make sure you perform well, the show getting the go ahead is going to be based on the ratings for this trial," Peter says.

They all nod as the managers disappear into the observation box and give them the 3, 2, 1 countdown to going on air.

Hermione smiles and says, "Hello and welcome to QWC Weekly with me, Hermione Granger."

"And me, Chelsea Clifton," Chelsea says brightly, "The show which brings you the news, the gossip and the odds for this years Quidditch World Cup."

"We are joined in the studio for this trial episode by Harry Potter and Oliver Wood," Hermione says.

"Harry will be bringing us all the news from the Australian team who are so gratefully helping us to fund this world cup," Chelsea says.

"And Oliver will be bringing us the low-down from the British teams that have qualified this year, that's England, Scotland and Ireland," Hermione says with a smile Oliver's way. He and Harry are standing in separate corners of the room.

"Although at the moment, as this is a trial episode, we are just in a studio in London," Chelsea says with a chuckle.

"But we can always set the scene," Hermione says, "Oliver you are supposed to be in the great British outdoors so…" Hermione says, flicking her wand into the corner of the room where Oliver is standing to create a cloud and drizzling rain, "Let's set the mood."

Chelsea laughs as Hermione turns to Harry and says, "And let's simulate Australia for you Harry," she flicks her wand again and Harry is encased in a heat spell. With another flick of her wand a window appears behind him with a kangaroo peeking through it.

"I've just suddenly remembered why I hate working with you Hermione," Harry says as he begins to swelter under the heat charm.

"I'm nice and cool over here," Oliver retorts in amusement.

Chelsea wipes the tears from her eyes and composes herself, "For the listeners who obviously can't see what has just happened. Hermione has just put a rain cloud over Oliver and encased Harry in a heat spell."

"But I did also give him a window with a nice view of a kangaroo," Hermione points out.

"May I point out on behalf of our Australians listeners Hermione, that this is very stereotypical," Harry says, he is sweating already.

Hermione laughs and carried on with the show, "To any Australian listeners I apologise. But let's get on with the show. In this week's episode I will be talking to Viktor Krum, who is of course the Scotland coach! We'll see how life is treating him after settling down in Edinburgh with his Scottish wife, Susan."

"And I will be talking to Michael Corner, the Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports, about how he thinks the three British teams will do in this year's tournament," Chelsea says, "And of course I'll have to ask about his famous Quidditch playing wife Ginny Weasley."

"Who I will be interviewing later on in the show," Oliver says, "I'll be talking to her about how having kids has changed her view on Quidditch and how much she misses playing for England."

"I will be interviewing the newest world record beating player, the 19-year-old Australian Mitchell Clarke, about how he plans to beat more records and how he thinks Australia will fare in the QWC this year," Harry says.

"So let's welcome our first guest, Scotland coach, Viktor Krum!" Hermione says as a door at the back of the studio opens and Krum walks in. He smiles at Hermione as he walks over, "Hello Hermione," he says as he kisses her on the cheek and sits down on the 'guest' sofa in-between her and Chelsea's armchairs

Krum then says hello to Chelsea and waves politely at Oliver. He laughs loudly when he sees Harry sweltering under the heat charm, "Enjoying the heat Harry?"

"Haha, very funny Viktor," Harry says, giving Krum the middle finger which of course the listeners don't know about.

Hermione chuckles and says, "It's a pleasure to have you on the show Viktor, it's been quite amazing how you have managed to turn Scotlands team around since you became coach last year."

"Well it was a challenge," Krum says, "And that is what drew me to it. I have lived in Edinburgh for about 5 years after marrying Susan and when I was offered the job I thought, you know I could really do something with this team."

Hermione nods, "And you have a baby now of course, so that must take up a lot of time."

Krum laughs, "Quite a lot of time and hard work, yes. He's nearly a year old now, so I definitely won't go back to playing professionally."

"You had offers though didn't you? From Bulgaria?"

"They keep asking me to come back," Krum says, shaking his head, "But I just can't devote the time to it. Coaching Scotland is great because it's so close to home."

"I can understand why they keep asking you to come back," Hermione says, "Bulgaria haven't exactly been a great team since you left. They didn't even qualify for this year's world cup."

"I do feel a little guilty because Bulgaria is my home country," Krum admits, "And I was asked to coach Bulgaria but you know how it is when you have a family. You don't want to permanently move far away."

"Yes, it is hard," Hermione agrees. "Your family is clearly a big consideration for you. So is that the main reason you decided to take the job as Scotland coach?"

"Well Susan actually prompted me to do it, but also like I said I saw something good in the players," Krum says, "They are all very young and haven't had much training so I could mould them into better players because of that."

"And this is the first time Scotland has qualified for a world cup since 1990," Hermione says, "So you must be very happy."

"I'm happy with the players, more than myself," Krum says, "I just pushed them and gave them tips, they did all the hard work in qualifying. They are all really good, hardworking kids and they deserve this chance."

"What do you think your chances are in the cup?" Hermione asks, "Because obviously you placed 10th in qualifying which is a huge jump from not making the final 16 in the past 6 tournaments."

"Yes, we were really happy with 10th. We were expecting to just make it, we would have been happy with 16th for our first comeback cup," Krum says, "But we have some great players and we had some really good games in qualifying so 10th is a great place to be."

Hermione nods, "So your first game will be against Germany, how do you think that will go?"

"Obviously Germany placed 7th in qualifying so it's not hugely unbelievable to think we could beat them. We've seen a team who placed 16th beat a team who placed 10th in the past so I definitely think it's possible. I've got faith in the team."

"Well we wish them luck of course, we'll be rooting for all three British teams here," Hermione says with a smile, "Can I ask you one final question, Viktor?"

"Of course you can," Krum says.

"Why do you think Wales failed to qualify this year? Apart from being unable to partake in the 1998 cup they haven't missed out in qualifying since 1982."

"I don't want to say anything that will offend anyone," Krum says, "But I think honestly they were overly confident in a team that is not so well prepared for how tough qualifying is. A lot of teams, like Scotland and the US, have really upped their game in recent years. I think Wales just felt they were safe and that was their downfall."

"That's an interesting perspective, thanks so much for coming in to talk to us today."

"It's my pleasure," Krum says, shaking Hermione's hand and getting to his feet.

"Viktor Krum everybody!" Hermione says as he leaves the studio and Hermione smiles at Chelsea. It is her interview now, she chances a glance at Harry who is dripping with sweat and has to contain a giggle.

"Thanks for that Hermione, our next guest is Michael Corner, our prestigious Head of Magical Games and Sports!" Chelsea says. The door Krum has just left through opens once more and Michael walks in. He is quite tall with short brown hair. He chuckles at Harry on his way past and sits down on the guest sofa after kissing both Hermione and Chelsea on the cheek.

"Welcome to the show Michael," Chelsea says with a smile.

"Thank Merlin you called me Michael," Michael says with a chuckle, "I feel old when people call me Mr. Corner."

Chelsea laughs and says, "Thank you for being here for our first show."

"Of course, I'm always happy to talk about Quidditch," Michael says.

Chelsea smiles, "This cup is rather unique isn't it? Because of the Australian aspect?"

"Yes," Michael nods, "To some the war seems like a distant memory and I can understand why. My children never knew it the way I did and I doubt you remember it very well Chelsea. You would only have been a toddler when it ended."

Chelsea nods, "I was 5 years old when it all ended so you're right, I don't remember much. But this world was still scarred by the war when I entered it 10 years ago and as far as I can see those scars are still there."

Michael looks slightly surprised at her knowledge and Hermione smiles proudly. She knows there is an intelligent person inside Chelsea, but she pretends that there isn't for the sake of her reputation as a blonde bimbo.

"Exactly, 16 years in terms of an economy is quite a short time. The debts we were left with after the cost of repairing Hogwarts and other public buildings in Diagon Alley were crippling and we are still repaying that debt. Of course the muggle recession also spread to certain factions of the wizarding community which only worsened the problem," Michael explains.

"But as it is our turn to host the cup Australia generously offered to help," Chelsea says.

"In return for joint coverage, yes," Michael says, "So obviously this show will be split between Britain and Australia. It's co-hosted I suppose you could say, in radio terms."

Chelsea smiles, "Well, we have a lot to thank the Australians for. This world cup is looking to be one of the best yet. I think the people of Britain are excited we are hosting such an interesting cup."

"The qualifying results have been interesting," Michael agrees, "Viktor Krum has really turned Scotlands team around as you were saying earlier Hermione but there really has been a rise in teams we don't normally see do so well. The US have placed 8th which is the highest they have ever placed and Canada have made it into the final 16 for the first time."

"And they are 13th," Chelsea says, "So it's not like they just edged it in."

"No, exactly," Michael says, "It really has been interesting. Teams that normally perform well like Bulgaria haven't placed at all and teams that normally do well like the Nordic team and Romania didn't make it into the top 10."

"So do you think that makes for an interesting tournament?" Chelsea asks.

"I think it definitely does," Michael says, "I think in this tournament there could be a few of those shocking games when a team who placed quite high are beaten by a team who placed low."

"So do you think Scotland could be in with a chance?"

"I think they could play a good game against Germany," Michael says, "But I don't think they will manage to make it to the next level just yet. I think given another 4 years they will perform really well."

"Of course the big hype this year is England," Chelsea says, "Because they've managed to place 2nd which is the best qualifying season in a long time."

"Yeah, since 1990," Michael says with a nod, "It's quite an achievement but Australia, who placed 1st, will be a tough challenge for us so I wouldn't call it a dead certain victory by any means."

"Australia and England are debuting a fair few players on the international scale this tournament though Michael," Chelsea says, "So it could be a fair fight, couldn't it?"

"Well fingers crossed is all I'll say," Michael chuckles, "Whenever we talk about England looking like they will do well they crumble under the pressure."

Chelsea laughs and says, "Well we'll be keeping everything crossed for England, Scotland and Ireland this season. Ireland of course placed 4th in qualifying underneath Australia, England and Spain. I'm a little bit biased though so I won't say too much more on that subject."

Michael laughs, "And so you should be. Everyone should support their home nation. It's good to have a bit of healthy competition in the work place."

"Even if England are going to kick Ireland's butt," Harry smirks.

Chelsea shoots him an amused look, "Luckily for you Harry, I like you. So for that reason I'm going to let you away with that comment."

Harry just winks at Chelsea, who says, "Either way, with three out of Britain's four countries in the race, it's going to be a tough fight for the title this year."

"It certainly will be," Michael agrees.

Chelsea smiles at him, "Thank you very much for joining us tonight Michael."

"Not a problem," Michael says, shaking Chelsea's hand and leaving the studio.

"Now it is time for a short advert break but we'll be back with you in 5," Hermione says. The green light in the room that signals they are on air begins to flash since it is an ad break.

"Goddamn it Hermione," Harry says the instant they are off air, "I am so hot under this charm!"

"Hey you wanted to be in Australia," Hermione teases, "This is just practice."

"There is no way it's this hot in Australia," Harry retorts, "Is this your way of getting revenge about the fact I work for Chelsea now?"

"Harry, you spent the hottest summer of the 90's walking around outside every day," Hermione says with a raised eyebrow, "But you can't handle a simulated heat charm?"

"It was only 30 degrees that summer at max," Harry complains, "It must be like 100 under here!"

Chelsea raises an eyebrow at Hermione and turns to Harry. She flicks her wand and does some sort of charm, "No, it's only 25 degrees actually."

"Well that's because there's no wind," Harry practically huffs, "I can pretend I'm in Australia without a heat charm you know."

"I know, but it's amusing to see you struggle with it," Chelsea says a little wickedly.

"Hey, what have I done to you?" Harry asks, "Hermione I get, I've pissed her off a lot over the years."

"A lot?" Hermione asks with a raised eyebrow, "That's an understatement."

"I just find your suffering funny Harry, sorry," Chelsea says with an unapologetic smirk as the light flashes amber signalling they are about to go back on air. The chit-chat immediately cuts out and when the light returns to green Hermione says, "Hello and welcome back to QWC Weekly. We are now joined by Oliver Wood, who is not really in the great British outdoors this week but is instead in a corner of our studio," Hermione says as she tries not to laugh.

"Under a rain cloud I might add, thanks a lot for that Hermione," Oliver says as he shivers under his own jacket and Harry's.

Chelsea laughs and Harry then shakes his head, his clothes are now soaking wet, "I can't cope with this heat," He says as he pulls his shirt off and lets it drop onto the floor.

This set off a whole burst of laughter in the studio and Chelsea says, "For the listeners benefit since you cannot see the madness going on in the studio, Oliver is wearing his own jacket and Harry's under his rain cloud."

"And Harry has just taken his shirt off," Hermione says through her laughter, "But we'll be going to him in a moment. For now, we're with Oliver Wood, former Puddlemere United and England player."

"Thanks Hermione," Oliver says cheerfully, "I'm here today to interview one of England's best female players of the last 10 years, she has been a chaser for the Holyhead Harpies for 9 years, having just taken a few out to spend time with her family. She officially goes by Ginny Corner, but Ginny Weasley is still her Quidditch name, and she joins us here today."

As Oliver speaks, Ginny walks out with an umbrella and joins him under his rain cloud. She smiles at Chelsea and Hermione on her way by and laughs at Harry who is now standing topless and sweating so much that his hair is soaking wet.

"Hi Oliver," Ginny says as she lifts the umbrella to cover them both.

Oliver laughs, "I appreciate the umbrella Ginny. It really sets the mood of the great British outdoors."

Ginny laughs, "It does, doesn't it?"

"Thanks for coming today at such short notice," Oliver says.

"It really is a pleasure to be here. I'm happy to help out any show that endorses Quidditch, especially one where the two main hosts are female. That's very refreshing to see."

"Thank you Ginny," Hermione says with a smile.

Chelsea nods, "It is a nice change."

Ginny smiles at them and turns back to Oliver who asks, "So you know the question on our lips. How much are you going to miss playing for England this season?"

"A lot," Ginny admits, "Some of the best days of my career were playing for England in the three cups I had the pleasure to play in."

"What was the highlight for you?"

"The highlight would have to be the semi-final of 2006," Ginny says with a bright smile.

"You were so close, we were all listening to the radio shouting and praying England would do it!" Oliver reminisces, "But of course we just missed out to Burkina Faso."

"They played a good game," Ginny nods, "But all the same the experience was great."

"And England are in the same position this year," Oliver points out.

"Yes but this time we've got Australia as an opponent. I think Australia are going to be a really tough opponent, harder than Burkina Faso were," Ginny says.

"Yeah, they seem to have really built up their Quidditch team since the last tournament where they only placed 7th. It's a big jump to place 1st in only a four-year gap," Oliver says.

"Well Australia, like Britain, only has one Wizarding School and a comparatively small population compared to countries like the US, Canada and a lot of the countries on the African continent," Hermione cuts in.

"Alright know-it-all, it's not your turn to interview," Harry teases.

Oliver chuckles, and Ginny cuts in, "No Hermione is right. Like Britain they only have a small population so it has taken time for their Quidditch team to build up. It's a perfectly accurate point."

Oliver nods, "It is indeed an accurate point. But I'm interested to know if you were surprised at how big a leap they made?"

"A little," Ginny admits, "7 places is a big jump. I had expected 2 or 3, but like Scotlands jump, it is because they worked hard for it and they deserve it."

Oliver nods again, "So you won't be playing in this tournament but what sort of role are you taking in it?"

"I'll be writing a column in the prophet about it," Ginny says, "And I will also be cheering England on from my sofa with my two girls."

"And Michael of course!" Oliver jokes.

"And Michael," Ginny laughs.

"Well thanks so much for coming in today Ginny, it is a pleasure to have you here," Oliver says, kissing her on the cheek.

"Not at all," Ginny says, "Here, you can keep my umbrella."

Oliver laughs as she hands it to him, "Thank you very much," He says as she crosses the studio and leaves.

"That was the one and only Ginny Weasley, great player and a lovely person too. I'll hand over to Harry now who is _still_ in a heat charm in the corner of the room that is simulated to look like Australia."

Harry laughs as Oliver hands over to him, "I am indeed in a fake Australia as Oliver says and I am joined here by one of the most promising Australian Quidditch players in a generation. He plays seeker for The Sydney Warriors and for the Australian national team. If that's not enough, in his spare time he beats world records and he's only 19 years old: it's Mitchell Clarke!"

Mitchell, a tall, attractive, tanned, blonde-haired man walks into the room and joins Harry under his heat charm, "Ah just like home. You alright there mate?"

"I'm a bit hot," Harry admits.

Mitchell laughs a bit wickedly, "You're struggling under a fake heat charm? Wait till you have to actually report from Australia with the sun beating down on you."

"You don't find this at all hot?" Harry asks the man.

"Nah," Mitchell says, looking quite at ease, "It's lovely after being in this cold place all week."

Harry laughs, "Yes, I can see why you would find Britain cold in April if you're used to this," he says, "But anyway Mitchell, welcome to the show."

"Thanks for having me on," Mitchell says.

"Thanks for being here," Harry says with a smile, "You are one of the up and coming stars of Quidditch at the moment. People are calling you the next Viktor Krum."

"I don't know if I'm the next Viktor Krum," Mitchell chuckles, "I like a challenge which I think is the only reason I've broken those world records."

"Well in the sense of record breaking you have broken three Quidditch records this year, haven't you?" Harry asks.

"I have yeah," Mitchell says, "But one of them was a fluke. I didn't mean to catch the snitch in the fastest time ever in a game and we actually lost the game because of it."

"So the story behind that world record is true then?" Harry asks in amusement.

Mitchell nods, looking vaguely embarrassed, "And I'm going to have to share it with the British public now aren't I?"

"I'm afraid so," Harry chuckles.

Mitchell shakes his head, "Merlin, well I wear glasses normally but I don't like to use them for Quidditch so I had contacts in. Literally 2 seconds after the game started they fell out and on top of that it was heavy rain so I could not see a thing."

"Trust me, I've worn glasses all of my life and played Quidditch for 6 years at school," Harry laughs, "I've been there."

Mitchell laughs too, "It's horrible, isn't it? I just felt blind so I was shouting over the rain for a time out and then something hit me in the mouth and I tried to grab it and felt it fluttering in my hand only to realise it was the snitch, it knocked out two of my teeth."

Harry laughs loudly, "But it all turned out alright because your teeth are fine and you got a world record!"

"The team weren't very happy at the time though," Mitchell says with a chuckle.

"And the other two records were planned, weren't they?" Harry asks.

"Yeah, they were both to raise money. One was for an Australian charity that helps squib children who have been abandoned, that was the record where I played the whole Quidditch game while hanging upside down from my broom. I think the previous record was a 3 hour game and we managed to keep it going for 3 and a half hours," Mitchell explains.

Harry shakes his head in amusement, "It sounds like great fun."

"Great fun and for a good cause," Mitchell says, "And the third record was to raise money to help fund the cup this year because as you know it looked like it might not happen with all the uncertainty about the economy here."

"Yes, it hasn't been the easiest of years here," Harry agreed, "And we greatly appreciated your fundraising efforts, although I bet you must have hurt afterwards."

"I actually spent some time in hospital after it," Mitchell says with an embarrassed chuckle, "I sprained my ankle."

"I can believe that," Harry says, "Because of course what you did was break the world record for the most wronski feints performed in half an hour."

"Which I apologise for, since I broke your record," Mitchell says.

Harry laughs, "I am way past it Mitchell, there is no way I could have done the amount you did. My record was for 20 in half an hour and you managed to do 25, is that right?"

"That's right, so I only beat you by 5," Mitchell says.

Harry laughs and says, "So obviously you are in a good place at the moment because Australia have placed 1st in qualifying and as we were saying earlier it has been a while since Australia did so well."

"Well it's been a while since we won, it was way back in 1966," Mitchell says, "So we're delighted with 1st and we're going to put up a good fight."

"How sure are you that you will get to the final?" Harry asks.

Mitchell smiles and looks just a little bit cocky, "Pretty sure," He says confidently.

"Well good luck to you and your team in the tournament Mitchell," Harry says as he shakes the man's hand, "And thanks for joining us today."

"Pleasure," Mitchell says, smiling and leaving the studio.

"Join us again after another advert break when we will be rounding up the Quidditch news from the week and challenging each other here in the studio," Chelsea says as they go for their second advert break.

"Hermione-" Harry begins to whine.

"I'm going to cut you lose Harry," Hermione says in amusement as she gets to her feet and ends the charm. Harry breathes in the normal, fresh air with relief and doesn't miss the sparkling amusement in Hermione's eyes as she takes in his drenched body.

"I don't look very attractive right now, do I?" Harry asks them in general.

"You've looked worse," Hermione says, thinking back to the war.

Chelsea's response is much more, well much more Chelsea, "You've been drenched in sweat in better situations."

Oliver bites back his laughter at the look Hermione gives Chelsea. She smirks, "You did say we should flirt for the sake of the show."

Hermione just sighs and says, "I did."

She doesn't miss the hopeful look that crosses Harry's face, and Chelsea doesn't either. Hermione feels slightly guilty about the look of hurt that flits very briefly across Chelsea's face.

Harry, not entirely knowing what to say, changes the subject, "You alright over there Oliver?"

"I could do with being a bit warmer," Oliver says and Harry chuckles, freeing him from the rain cloud that has been spitting on him throughout the trial. They conjure up chairs in their respective corners and sit down.

"So what is the challenge?" Harry asks, flicking towards the back of the notebook.

"Wait and see," Hermione says, "It will be fun."

"But todays challenge won't go towards the overall scoreboard for the show since this is just a trial," Chelsea adds as the light begins to flash amber once more. It turns green again and they are back on-air.

"Welcome back to QWC Weekly where we are about to give you a round-up of the Quidditch news from the last week," Chelsea says.

"England chaser Thomas Jackson is in St. Mungo's with a dislocated shoulder," Hermione says, "Which according to England's coach Gwenog Jones could put him out of action for England's first game of the tournament against The Nordic Team. Spain, who are currently 3rd in the rankings have lost their seeker Felipe Alonso who was hit by a bludger and has broken several ribs and suffered from internal bleeding. The 19-year-old substitute seeker, Miguel Ronaldo, will be replacing Alonso for Spain's first game of the season against New Zealand."

Chelsea now adds in her part, "There have also been rumours of discontent amongst the Irish Quidditch team which may relate to the fact one of the chasers has allegedly had an affair with one of the beaters wives. No names have been released, and no statement has been made on this issue."

"However, in happier news," Hermione says, "Germany keeper Stefan Hausenberg announced today that his wife has given birth to a little boy making him a Father for the first time."

"And Scotland chaser Susan Krum has announced that she will retire after this world cup to spend more time with her young son," Chelsea says, "So let's hope she gets a good tournament this year."

"And that is all for this week's round-up," Hermione says happily, "Which means it is now time for some challenges."

"First up are Oliver and Harry," Chelsea says with a smirk in their direction, "Who of course face a Quidditch related challenge. Do you want to tell them the rules Hermione?"

"Of course, Chelsea," Hermione smiles, "Oliver and Harry, your challenge is to sit on a stationary broomstick with a wind charm blowing in the direction of your face. Ahead of you will be a hoop and you will each have a supply of quaffles. The winner will be the person who scores the most goals when the time runs out."

Oliver and Harry share a glance as the brooms appear. They both mount their brooms, ready to begin their challenge.

"This will be easy," Oliver says nonchalantly.

"I don't know about that," Harry says, "I've never been a chaser."

"It's just like being a seeker, except you throw the snitch after you catch it," Oliver says, making the others laugh.

Chelsea stands in front of Harry and Hermione stands in front of Oliver to keep count of their goals.

"Are you both ready?" Hermione asks.

"Ready," They both reply.

"Alright, on the count of three," Hermione says as she sets up the wind charms which blow quite forcefully. All of a sudden two gold hoops appear in front of Harry and Oliver.

Together with Chelsea, Hermione then says, "3…2…1…go!"

And so it begins, they aren't as good as they thought they would be with the wind in their face making it nearly impossible to see ahead of them. Harry has a slight disadvantage of course because of his glasses.

After 30 seconds a buzzer goes off. Hermione cancels the wind charms and lets the boys dismount. Their eyes are streaming from the wind as Hermione and Chelsea reconvene in front of them.

"Alright then Chelsea, how many did Harry manage?" Hermione asks.

"He managed to get 11 goals Hermione, did Oliver beat that?" Chelsea asks.

Hermione shoots Oliver an apologetic glance, "Unfortunately he only managed 9."

"Yes!" Harry cheers, pumping the air, "I won!"

Oliver laughs and shakes his hand, "Well done Harry. Although I do take some credit. I picked you for the Gryffindor Quidditch team and trained you after all."

Harry chuckles and they both look at the two women, "So it's your turn now ladies."

Hermione smiles and turns to Chelsea, "Our challenge is a game we coined Quidditch Bowling which is a magical form of a muggle game."

"It is our take on ten-pin bowling," Chelsea continues, "Which means Hermione and I will both be hovering on broomsticks trying to knock over ten bowling pins with a quaffle. The first of us to knock over 3 full sets of pins wins the challenge."

Harry and Oliver look on with amusement as with a few flicks of their wands Chelsea and Hermione set up a mini bowling alley in the studio and mount broomsticks at the far end.

"Alright, boys, are you ready to judge?" Chelsea asks.

"Ready," Harry and Oliver echo.

A buzzer sounds and Hermione and Chelsea both start throwing quaffles at the pins at the opposite end of the studio while Harry and Oliver judge and cheer them on. Hermione's tactic is to throw from up high, Chelsea's is to lie flat on her broom and throw from a lower angle. It is close, but Chelsea wins by 3 pins and the buzzer sounds once more.

Hermione laughs and holds her hand out to Chelsea, "Well won," She says.

Chelsea takes her hand and shakes it, "Thank you very much," She says, flicking her hair back and sitting down in her armchair.

"Well that is all we have time for this week," Hermione says as she also sits back down.

"So thank you all for listening, and goodnight," Chelsea finishes.

The light flashes once more and then turns red for good. Everyone breathes a sigh of relief now that they are no longer on air.

"That went well," Oliver says happily, "Although I am a bit damp."

Hermione laughs and throws on her jacket, "Sorry Oliver," She teases.

Harry shakes his head in amusement as he puts his wet shirt and jacket back on and does drying charms on them, "You have a wicked sense of humour Hermione. If that's what Australia is really like, then I won't last very long on this job."

The others laugh and Sebastian walks into the room with a smile on his face, "That went really well. I'll see you all tomorrow at 9am to go over the ratings and work out where we're going next."

"Thanks Seb," Hermione smiles as her manager as he and Peter leave.

"Well the night is still young," Chelsea says, "I'm going to hit that new bar in Diagon Alley to celebrate our pilot going so well. Are you guys in?"

"I'm in," Harry says instantly, "That place looks amazing."

Oliver nods enthusiastically, "I'm in too, I've wanted to try that place out since it opened."

"You up for it Hermione?" Harry asks, turning his attention to Hermione.

Hermione dithers slightly, "I shouldn't, I really ought to get back for the kids…and Draco."

"Oh come on, live a little," Chelsea says, "What's one night in the scheme of things?"

"I really can't," Hermione says, "I've been gone since last night and Scorpius is still too young to really understand where I've been."

"So why don't you just go home, get changed and come back out?" Oliver suggests.

Hermione wants to, she is having fun and that is something she hasn't done for a while but unfortunately the logical side of her brain wins out, "No, I can't. I'm sorry guys, you won't get it until you have kids. I've got to get back tonight."

"Alright, in that case I'll apparate you home," Harry says as they leave the studio together, "You're exhausted and I don't want to risk you splinching yourself."

"Come on Harry, when have I ever splinched myself?"

"Yourself? Never…Ron on the other hand," Harry says with a slight smile.

Hermione sighs, "That was different, you know it was."

"It's just a joke, Mione," Harry says gently as they leave the building together. It is buzzing at the moment, it always is at the prime-time of night with all the live programs going out on different channels.

"Are you coming or not Harry?" Chelsea asks as they reach the alleyway outside the building.

"I'll meet you there as soon as I've got Hermione home," Harry says with a smile.

Chelsea looks a bit pissed off but nods, "See you there," she says as she loops her arm through Oliver's. They walk down the alley and round the corner.

Harry puts his arm around Hermione as she yawns, "Do you really want to get back to the kids or do you just want to go home to bed?" he asks.

"I'm exhausted but I need to get back to them too," Hermione admits, "I don't know how you keep yourself so upbeat all the time."

"I've not had two kids," Harry says with a smile, "I imagine that makes you a lot more tired than me."

Hermione smiles slightly, "It is a little hard to balance it all."

"Are you sure going away to the QWC is the right thing to do?" Harry asks.

"I think it's the right thing for Draco and I," Hermione yawns, forgetting she shouldn't talk to Harry about this in her haze of tiredness, "We need the distance with all the fighting at the moment."

"I didn't know you two were fighting," Harry says, hope slipping into his voice.

Hermione sighs, "We are and I don't want Cassie and Scorp caught up in that. I've been away for touring shows in the past when they were younger and things were fine so I don't think it will be too much of a problem."

"As long as you're sure," Harry says, squeezing her shoulder, "What are you and Malfoy fighting about?"

"Harry," Hermione sighs, "Can we not talk about this now? I just want to get home."

Harry nods, "Sorry, Mione. Are you ready?"

Hermione nods and Harry tightens his grip on her as he apparates them to the gates of the house Hermione shares with Draco. There is a light on in the hall and another in a front room that Hermione knows to be Draco's study.

"You okay from here?" Harry asks, "Because I can walk you in if you want me to."

"I don't think that would be a good idea Harry," Hermione says cautiously.

Harry catches her eye, "I'm the reason you two are fighting at the moment," He realises.

"Harry-"

"I am, aren't I?" Harry asks stubbornly.

"Yes," Hermione says honestly, "This show is making us work more closely together so Draco is a little paranoid."

"Does he have reason to be?" Harry asks.

Hermione smiles slightly and hugs him, "Don't do this to either of us Harry. Not with this long QWC ahead."

Harry nods and half-heartedly says, "Goodnight Hermione."

"Goodnight Harry," Hermione says, yawning and kissing him on the cheek, "I'll see you tomorrow."

 **TBC :)  
**


	6. Burning Bridges

**Fade Into You**

 **Chapter 6 - Burning Bridges  
**

"Did the queen get home safely then?"

Harry raises an eyebrow at Chelsea, "The queen?"

"That's what they call her," Chelsea says, rolling her eyes, "The queen of the WWN. What are you drinking?"

"Pumpkin juice and yes, she did get home safely," Harry says, his eyes sparkling in amusement as he watches her.

"A pumpkin juice for my boring friend here and a firewhiskey shooter for me David," Chelsea says, smiling beautifully at the barman.

Harry snorts in amusement, "You're acquainted with the barman already?"

"I had to find someone to talk to while you took her majesty home," Chelsea snipes.

Harry can feel the irritation coming off of her, but he decides to ignore it, "I thought you had Oliver," he says, looking around the bar for the older man.

"Oh I lost him to a pretty brunette as soon as we walked through the door," Chelsea says with a wave of her hand, "He's a bit of a playboy, isn't he?"

"Eternal bachelor," Harry chuckles, "That's what he calls himself."

"A bit like you then," Chelsea says, eying Harry carefully.

Harry shakes his head, "I'm not alone through choice Chelsea. I just haven't...found that person yet."

"No," Chelsea says, narrowing her eyes at him, "You found her but then you lost her and now no one can compare. Take me for example, you like me, you admire me. I think you maybe even respect me a little bit. Under normal circumstances I'm everything you would like in a woman but you're keeping your distance."

Harry looks up into her fiery gaze, "Yes, because you're 13 years younger than me Chelsea. You were a toddler when I killed Voldemort, it just isn't right."

"I do believe that has something to do with it," Chelsea says, "But it's not the main reason and we both know it. I'm not Hermione Granger, and that's your problem. How can you still be in love with her? She got married, she had children, she moved on and left you behind. But you still love her?"

Harry clears his throat and looks away from her, "I'm not still in love with her."

"That's the biggest lie you've told me since we met," Chelsea sighs.

Harry is silent as their drinks arrive. Chelsea downs hers in one movement and gets to her feet, "I can work with you Harry and I can be your friend. But I can't get involved with you while you're in love with someone else. I won't let you put me through the pain of being second best."

"Fine," Harry says, still unable to look at her, "That's fine because you're far too young for me anyway."

He hears Chelsea sigh quietly as she puts her empty glass down on the bar, "See you at work," she says as she clicks loudly towards the door in her high heels.

* * *

After Harry has gone, Hermione lets herself through the gate and walks up the path towards the house. She gets in, shuts the door and wants nothing more than to crawl into bed. However, before she gets the chance to move towards the bedroom, Draco walks into the hall.

"I'm so sorry Draco," Hermione says, "I was with Chelsea last night then I fell asleep and had to rush into the studio and the show just finished."

"I know, I heard it," Draco says, "The kids listened to it then I sent them to bed."

"Did you like it?" Hermione asks.

Draco nods, "Have you been drinking?"

"No," Hermione yawns, "I've just not slept much apart from my brief nap this afternoon. Do I really look that bad?"

"It's just the bloodshot eyes," Draco says, "That and the fact you were with Potter when you got home."

Hermione sighs, "Draco, please don't do this tonight. He just apparated me home because he was worried I was too tired to do it myself."

"You have been gone for 24 hours Hermione and then Potter brings you home. What do you expect me to think?" Draco asks coolly.

"Draco!" Hermione snaps, "I have been loyal to you since we got married! What makes you think that will stop now? This is no different from the old show with Harry as my researcher. He's just helping with the presenting now too, why are you so paranoid all of a sudden?"

Draco fixes her with a long, cold look, "Everything I do is in the public eye now Hermione with this campaign for Minister. And that includes everything that you do, if anything comes out about you and Potter-"

"It won't because nothing has happened!" Hermione says honestly, "If anyone has to worry about past secrets coming out it's you. Merlin knows what you did during the war."

"That is a low blow," Draco says. He looks away from her and clears his throat, "You better get some sleep. We have a meeting tomorrow morning at 8am."

"With who?" Hermione asks irritably.

"People checking our history to make sure I'm fit for Minister. They need to question both of us," Draco says.

Hermione scoffs, " _I'm_ not running for Minister and I'm not the one with a shady past!"

"You have to do it anyway Hermione," Draco drawls.

Hermione shakes her head in annoyance and heads for the stairs, "I don't have to do anything Draco," She says hotly as she walks away from him.

* * *

The following morning when Hermione awakes in one of the spare bedrooms she immediately feels guilty about her argument with Draco which now seems incredibly pointless and stupid. Of course she has to do the meeting, it is to stop anything getting out into the press and if there is a scandal with her it will affect Draco's chances of becoming Minister.

She groans as she checks the clock on the bedside table. It is 7.30am and Draco hasn't woken her up so he obviously assumes that she isn't going to change her mind about the meeting. She gets up and grabs her clothes then heads to the bathroom for a quick shower.

When she comes out and makes her way downstairs she hears her phone beeping in her bag and she grabs it. There is a text from Sebastian reading, _"Meeting has been moved to 10.30am with Ford. It's very important, you HAVE to be there."_

Hermione rolls her eyes and texts back that she will be there. Then she checks her other text which is from Hannah reading, _"Nev is babysitting tonight so let's go out for a drink and catch up!"_

Hermione smiles and replies quickly that she likes that idea, then she tucks her phone into her pocket and walks into the living room.

"Are Cassie and Scorp up?"

Draco looks up from his newspaper and nods, "They're with the tutor in the library."

"When did you say this meeting is?" Hermione asks, straightening her skirt a little nervously.

"In 5 minutes, but I thought you wanted nothing to do with it?" Draco asks calmly.

Hermione sighs, "Draco you picked a fight with me at the wrong time last night. I hadn't slept for more than an hour in 24 hours. I wasn't exactly in the most logical place."

"Is that an apology?" Draco asks with a raised eyebrow.

"As close as you'll get to one," Hermione replies, "Anyway do they need to talk to us at the same time or separately?"

"Separately," Draco replies.

"Do you mind if I go first then? I have a meeting at 10.30 with the head of the WWN, I can't miss it," Hermione says honestly.

Draco just nods as a knock sounds on the front door. He gets to his feet, folds up his newspaper and answers it. Two wizards stand there and after Draco has made the introductions they ask if they can get started. After hearing about Hermione's meeting they ask her into the study and shut the door on Draco who is waiting outside.

They set themselves up, one with parchment, a quill and an ink pot and the other with a scroll of parchment that clearly has information about some troublesome things they want to ask her about.

"Sorry for this inconvenience Mrs. Malfoy, but it is necessary for your husband to progress in his campaign for Minister," The shorter of the two men says, "I'm Mr. Redford and this is Mr. Slate."

"I understand," Hermione says with a false smile.

"Our job today is to make sure there is no troubling information which can be taken in the wrong way by the press, and more to the point, that there are no criminal convictions that can hinder this campaign," Mr. Redford says.

Hermione has to fight the urge to scoff, it is bad enough an ex-Death Eater is being allowed to run. Hermione knows Draco had been forced into his role as a Death Eater, and she also knows that he has redeemed himself. He is a generous, loving husband and father. But all the same, that doesn't necessarily mean he should be trusted with this amount of power.

"The first problem we came upon with you Mrs. Malfoy is that you did not finish your schooling at Hogwarts," Mr. Redford says,

"Well I didn't return for my final year if that's what you mean," Hermione says, "But I took my N.E.W.T's at the Ministry and passed them all despite not taking my 7th year."

Slate nods and scribbles this down. Redford asks, "Why did you not return to school?"

"Because I had just been through a war, I hardly felt like a teenager anymore. It seemed pointless to return when I could take my N.E.W.T's elsewhere and pursue a career," Hermione answers honestly.

"What about Harry Potter? You two have a long, complicated history together," Redford says.

Hermione bites back an angry retort, instead she nods, "Everybody has past relationships."

"But your past relationship with Mr. Potter wasn't exactly peaceful was it? The press might not have caught wind of his antics but his criminal and medical records tell it all. 5 times in St. Mungo's for rehabilitation with alcohol problems, 3 arrests for violent behaviour but the charges were always dropped."

Hermione sighs, "He struggled to adjust after the war."

"Clearly," Redford says, "But it was all mysteriously kept out of the press. Did you have anything to do with that?"

"I knew the editor of the Daily Prophet," Hermione admits, "I convinced her not to publish the stories and Harry always paid off the people charging him, to keep them quiet."

"That could get you both in some trouble if it came out," Slate points out.

"I'm aware of that," Hermione says stiffly.

"Is there anything else we should know about your relationship with Mr. Potter? It lasted for four years, that's quite a long time. You were also close during your school years and during the war. Are you certain it's over?"

"Of course it's over. Draco and I are married," Hermione says, slightly offended by that question.

"But Mr. Potter was a researcher on your show for 9 years which must have required you to work closely with him," Redford says.

"He's my best friend and while I can't be with him any longer romantically I can't give up our friendship too. But that is all it is, friendship. Nothing has happened between Harry and I since Draco and I got married. I can assure you of that," Hermione says entirely honestly.

Redford nods and gave her a small smile, "Thank you for your time Mrs. Malfoy. You are free to go now."

Hermione nods and gets to her feet, leaving the room without another word to them. Outside she glances at Draco who looks at her quizzically.

"It went fine," Hermione says stiffly as she slips on her high heels, "I have to go to work. I'll see you tonight."

Draco nods and Hermione leaves without saying goodbye properly. This seems to be the way their relationship is going now.

* * *

Hermione is first in the meeting room, as usual. She is tapping her foot anxiously on the wooden floor and Sebastian is sitting next to her looking quite perplexed.

"You really have no idea why this meeting is called?" Hermione asks him irritably.

"Honestly Hermione, I don't know. I suspect it's because of the show last night but whether its good news or bad news I don't know," Sebastian says honestly.

Hermione sighs, "I hate this."

"What not having a secure job for once in your life?" Sebastian jokes, making Hermione smile a little.

The door swings open and Oliver walks in, dropping down next to Hermione, "Morning," he yawns.

"Rough night?" Hermione asks with a raised eyebrow.

Oliver yawns again, "I lost Chelsea quite early on, ended up bumping into an old school friend. That new bar is pretty nice though."

"I suppose Harry and Chelsea will be coming in together today," Hermione sighs, kicking herself mentally for getting jealous.

"I like Chelsea well enough but she is closer in age to Harry's Godson than to him," Oliver says, "13 years is a pretty big age gap."

"It's nice to know I'm not the only adult here then," Hermione admits, "Harry seems to think I disapprove because I'm jealous."

"Well let's face it, you are a bit jealous," Oliver says in amusement.

Hermione shoots him a glare, "I'm married."

"You're still jealous," Sebastian mutters.

Hermione actually growls, "Would you both just shut up? I have bigger things to worry about right now than who Harry is screwing!"

Oliver and Sebastian both raise their hands in the air and Hermione lets her head fall onto the table with a bang, "I'm sorry," She says, her voice muffled by her hair. The door opens and unbeknownst to her Harry has stepped into the room.

Hermione continues, "This whole campaign of Draco's is driving me up the wall and everyone thinks I'm sleeping with Harry!"

Harry chuckles, "If I thought it would help I'd verify to Malfoy that I'm not sleeping with you."

Hermione looks up with wide horrified eyes, "You going anywhere near Draco would only make things worse Harry and you know it."

Harry nods and sits down across from her, "I am sorry hes giving you a hard time over nothing though Hermione."

"Me too," Hermione says, fixing her hair and glancing around the table, "Where's Chelsea?"

"I don't know," Harry replies honestly, "I haven't seen her since last night."

Hermione frowns, "I thought you two were..."

"We're just friends," Harry says, not wanting to explain to Hermione why Chelsea wouldn't get involved with him.

"Right," Hermione says, glancing at her watch.

"Don't worry," Harry says, "She'll be here. She wouldn't ignore an urgent meeting."

Before Hermione can say that she thought Chelsea could quite easily ignore an urgent meeting, the door opens and Chelsea walks in. She smiles at the occupants of the meeting room and sits down next to Harry without a word. Hermione frowns at the change between the two of them and can't help but wonder what has happened between them.

They are all silent for the next few minutes until the door opens for the final time and Ford walks into the room looking quite pleased with himself. He sits down at the head of the meeting table and says, "Morning all."

"Morning sir," They all chorus.

"As I am sure you have all guessed I am here to talk to you about last night. It was of course a huge success, the combination of Hermione and Chelsea brought in the Hogwarts viewers and the older generation. The banter between Hermione and Harry harked back to the golden days of wizarding radio too. It could not have gone better."

Hermione tries to ignore the hidden insult there about the golden days and smiles, "That's great. Does that mean the show gets the go ahead?"

"I can go one better than that," Ford says with a grin, "It gets the go ahead but not _only_ as a radio show."

Hermione catches Harry's eye and frowns.

"Uh, what else would it be?" Harry asks in confusion.

"For the first time ever the WWN will be launching a visual platform for its shows," Ford says, waving his wand and creating a holographic depiction of this 'platform' in the middle of the table.

"It's a TV," Hermione and Chelsea echo.

Ford looks a little disgruntled by this, "No it's a VR, short for Visual Radio."

The device in the centre of the table is flat, thin and rectangular with a white frame around the edge and a black centre. It has cogs on it like a radio but it is very clearly modelled on a television.

"It's a TV," Chelsea says, "With cogs instead of buttons."

"Our Visual Radio will go on sale tomorrow," Ford says, ignoring Chelsea, "It will be available in four different sizes and is easily placed on any wall with a sticking charm. It will also be available with either a silver, black, white, red, green, blue, yellow or purple frame. It works exactly like a radio but in addition to being able to hear the show it will be sent directly to this platform visually too. Your new show will be the first show to air in this way and if it is a success others will follow."

"You're seriously marketing this thing and trying not to say it's a TV?" Chelsea asks in disbelief, "Why?"

Hermione rolls her eyes, "Why do you think? If they market it as something remotely muggle then purebloods won't buy it."

"And purebloods have lots of money so they'll buy the biggest, most expensive model. Right Ford?" Harry asks in amusement.

Ford still looks a little disgruntled, "That is a factor yes. We believe it will sell well under the name Visual Radio. But that is the least of your concerns, you have three days to pack and say goodbye to your families before you leave for Australia. Use them wisely."

They all nod as Ford gets to his feet and leaves the room. When the door snaps shut behind him Chelsea gets to her feet and snorts, "It's a bloody TV."

Hermione holds back her laughter and gets to her feet as well, "I ought to go and tell the kids about all of this. I'll see you in Australia."

* * *

"Draco."

"Pansy."

"You're working late tonight," Pansy says conversationally from the door to Draco's makeshift office.

"Well I am trying to become Minister for Magic," Draco says offhandedly, "It requires a lot of work."

"Yes, I am aware of that since I have been helping you with most of it," Pansy teases.

"About that, where is this mysterious husband you claim to have?" Draco jokes, looking up from his paperwork.

"He works abroad, I told you that. He's in America at the moment," Pansy shrugs, "He has money but that doesn't always make you rich. The one thing he can't give me is children."

Draco looks at her sympathetically, "I'm sorry about that."

Pansy shakes her head, "Don't be. What are you working on so late anyway?"

"I'm just going over the figures, Weasley is ahead at the moment. Mother is scheming about something but I promised Hermione I wouldn't play dirty in this campaign," Draco says, his eyes once more on the piece of parchment he is reading.

"And you're going to keep that promise while she's running off with Potter?" Pansy scoffs.

Draco sighs but doesn't actually say anything.

"She's having an affair, you know that right?"

"I don't know anything about what's going on with her right now," Draco says honestly, "And that's because she's completely shutting me out. As far as Potter goes...well anything could have happened. She's still in love with him, she always will be."

"So she married you for what, status? Wealth?"

"Love, so she claims," Draco says quietly, "But I think I was there as an option and she was pregnant with my child. She knew I could provide for her and our baby, she knew we could have a good life together."

"And you have, but you still aren't enough for her," Pansy points out.

"Clearly," Draco says, rolling the parchment into a scroll and getting to his feet, "Not that it's any of your business. Having you working on this campaign is bad enough given what's happened in the past. I had to get checked out you know and luckily I don't think they know anything about that incident in the war."

"They shouldn't, I never told anyone and neither did you. The only other key witness is dead," Pansy says darkly.

Draco shoots her a dirty look, "Don't talk like that."

"I'm just saying," Pansy points out, "Look Draco. I'm here for you, that's why I'm on this campaign," She says, placing her hand on his, "I hope you know that."

Draco grips her hand and smiles at her, "Of course I do Pansy and you know how much I appreciate it," he says, drawing her in for a hug.

Neither of them are aware of the reporter outside the window snapping pictures of them in the darkened office.

* * *

"If this is a family meeting where's Dad?"

Hermione sighs, "He has to work Cassie. You know things are a little busy at the moment with the campaign."

Cassie raises an eyebrow at her mother, "We had noticed Mum."

Hermione smiles slightly, "There are two weeks until election day so this won't last long I promise. But the reason I called this family meeting is to tell you that I'm going to Australia."

"Forever?" Scorpius asks with wide eyes.

"No Scorp, for a few months," Hermione says gently, "I'm presenting the new show about the Quidditch World Cup with Chelsea Clifton but I need to do it from Australia. I'll be there until the final."

"Does that mean we get free tickets to the final?" Cassie asks hopefully.

Hermione laughs, "Yes, it does and you get free tickets for all of the England, Scotland and Ireland games too."

"Then I'm okay with it," Cassie smiles.

"We won't see you till the final?" Scorpius asks with a frown.

"No, you will see me. I'll come home once a week and floo call every day," Hermione says, placing her hand on his shoulder, "I'm not going to vanish Scorp."

Scorpius nods slowly, "And Dad will be here right?"

"Dad, Grandma, Aunt Hannah and Uncle Neville will be around to keep an eye on you both," Hermione promises.

"I guess I'm okay with that then," Scorpius says after a moment of silent thinking.

"Good," Hermione says with a smile, "I'm leaving in two days so you better have a think about what you'd like to do before I go."

"Okay, I will!" Scorpius says, instantly cheered as he rushes from the room.

Hermione turns to Cassie who is watching her expectantly.

"I don't mind that you have to travel Mum, it's your job," Cassie says.

"I know sweetheart but this is our last summer before you go to Hogwarts. I don't want you to feel like I'm not spending enough time with you," Hermione says gently.

Cassie just smiles, "You've spent my whole life with me Mum. I don't mind if you have to go to Australia for a while, especially if it means free tickets to the final. Uncle Harry says he's pretty sure England will be in it!"

Hermione smiles, "Yeah, I think he might be right there."

Cassie grins excitedly, "Can I go now? I think there might be a Puddlemere game tomorrow, we can do that before you go right?"

"Of course we can, go check," Hermione says with a smile as Cassie follows her brother up the stairs noisily.

* * *

Draco doesn't get home until late that night. Cassie and Scorpius have already gone to bed, safe in the knowledge that they will definitely be going to a Puddlemere game the next day as a family day out before Hermione leaves for Australia.

Despite her busy few days Hermione has somehow managed to wait up for Draco, although she has dozed off in her armchair a few times.

When he walks into the living room she smiles sleepily, "You're late tonight."

"I was going over campaign figures," Draco yawns as he hangs up his coat, "And I was thinking about the kids."

"So was I, but you first," Hermione says with a smile, this is civil.

"I was thinking of bringing them along for my campaigning tomorrow. You know, getting them handing out leaflets, promoting a united family front," Draco says as he watches her from the doorway.

"They can't do tomorrow but even if I didn't have other plans for them I would still say no. You doing this is bad enough, I won't involve the children in it," Hermione says hotly, "You know my opinion of the press, you know what exposure from a young age can do to people. We agreed we would keep the kids away from that."

"And handing out leaflets isn't exactly a huge deal," Draco says shortly, "They aren't campaigning themselves Hermione."

"No, Draco. You are not involving them and that is final," Hermione says, the tense air between them is back once more.

"Fine," Draco says, "What have they got on tomorrow anyway?"

"I'm taking them to a Puddlemere game before I leave for Australia. I thought it would be nice to have a family day out," Hermione says, hoping Draco will agree.

"I can't," He says, not sounding at all apologetic, "I have to work."

"But Draco, tomorrow is Saturday!" Hermione exclaims.

"And I only have two weeks to prove I'm the right Minister for Magic!" Draco snaps, "I'm sorry Hermione but I can't take a day off right now. You'll just have to take the kids by yourself."

"Fine," Hermione says coolly as she grabs her jacket, "I'll be back before the kids wake up tomorrow morning."

"Where are you going? To Potters I expect?" Draco practically spits.

"Hannah's actually," Hermione says as she leaves the house, shutting the door quietly behind her. She can't bear to be in the same room as this version of Draco who is desperate to be Minister for Magic.

She didn't lie, she really did intend to go to Hannah's but somehow she has ended up apparating to a place she hasn't stepped foot inside for years. It is on the outskirts of the Forest of Dean. It is a single story quaint little wooden lodge and technically it _is_ Harry's. He had bought it for them, but they had never really gotten a chance to live in it. Hermione frowns, wondering why her brain has taken her here but all the same she places her hand on the front door and sure enough, it recognises her and swings open.

That strikes her as odd, after all of these years Harry hasn't changed the wards. Hermione walks in cautiously; the house is as sparsely furnished as it had always been but it is clean. Harry hasn't abandoned it, the garden out the back is well kept and the whole place has a clean if un-lived in atmosphere. Hermione heads for what had been her favourite part of the house, a small snug room in the back with no windows. It is exactly as it had been when she had last been here. There is an old muggle television set, a video-player and a stack of videos at one side of the room and at the other is an armchair big enough for two.

Hermione smiles as she fiddles with the television and gets the electricity flowing. She grabs her favourite film from the stack of videos and plugs it up. After a few attempts the screen flickers to the life. Hermione grabs a blanket from the pile next to the armchair and gets comfortable.

The whole experience and the house brings back memories which aren't entirely happy or sad…

" _Hermione relax. It's a good surprise."_

 _Hermione looks at Harry warily as they walk along an oddly familiar country lane, "I don't like surprises."_

" _You'll like this one," Harry says as they turn the corner and a house comes into view with the backdrop of the Forest of Dean behind it._

 _Hermione frowns, "A house?"_

" _Our house," Harry corrects her, "In the Forest of Dean. I thought we can stay here maybe..."_

" _...And grow old," Hermione whispers, tears filling her eyes._

 _Harry nods with a slight smile, "I just paid the deposit. It needs a bit of fixing up but you'll love it inside I promise."_

 _Hermione gapes at him, "You're serious?"_

" _No I'm Harry, Sirius was my Godfather remember?" Harry jokes, "But seriously Hermione you deserve it, for putting up with me."_

 _Hermione is speechless so Harry asks, "Do you want to see inside?"_

 _Hermione nods, she is still in shock as he takes her hand and leads her inside to the living room where she finally finds her voice, "Harry, you aren't supposed to make big decisions so soon after your treatment. The Healers said-"_

 _A dark look passes across Harry's face, "Don't nag Hermione. The Healers are wrong, I'm fine, in fact I've never felt better. They told me to start afresh, what better way is there to do that than buying a new house?"_

 _Hermione doesn't say anything but she is still anxious about Harry's rash decision._

 _He doesn't seem to notice, he just says, "There isn't much furniture yet. Just a mattress in the bedroom, oh but there is this."_

 _And then he drags her into the snug which is entirely set up. It is her little muggle escape when she wants to be reminded of her old life and of her family. Her parents._

Hermione pulls herself away from those thoughts before they get too much. She had loved Harry then, and a part of her probably always will but he had been damaged and those years she had spent with him had been hard. They had ruined her emotionally for a long time and she has forgiven him for that now but the memories still hurt. She tries to focus on the film but she can't. Everything about this place reminds her of Harry.

" _How on earth did you get this?"_

" _I am the most famous wizard on the planet, or so you keep reminding me," Harry says offhandedly as he cooks up something in the kitchen, "I called in a favour with the publishers. Bathilda finished it not long before she died, it will be her last edition. Maybe you should take over."_

" _I'd rather read books than write them," Hermione says as she surveys the cover of the latest edition of "Hogwarts: A History" that Harry has just given her a week before the official publication date._

" _Are you going to read it or just stare at it?" Harry jokes from the kitchen which is open plan and attached to the living room._

 _Hermione laughs and opens the book, intending to read the first page for a sneak peek at the dedication and authors note. Instead a piece of parchment falls out which she opens with a frown. Written on it are a few simple words, "Hermione, you put up with more than you should have to. I love you and I always will. Marry me?"_

 _Hermione drops the note and the book in shock. She spins around to where Harry is standing behind her holding a diamond ring in his hand._

" _Harry," She practically squeaks._

 _Harry grins, "Will you Hermione?"_

" _Of course I will you idiot!" Hermione exclaims as she jumps into his arms and grips him tightly._

 _He laughs as she finally loosens her grasp enough for him to slip the ring onto her finger. Then she finally kisses him._

Hermione is so caught up in the memories that she hasn't noticed that her film has ended and is playing the end credits. She sighs and puts on another, settling back down onto the armchair again. She is intending to spend the night here. It is sort of like a sanctuary away from Draco and his volatile moods at the moment. Although that is ironic considering how many of Harry's volatile moods the house has seen.

 _It is the morning after Harry's proposal. They had gone to sleep on their mattress on the bedroom floor with nothing but blankets and each other to keep them warm. When Hermione wakes up she is alone, so she makes her way into the living room where Harry is passed out on the sofa with an empty bottle of firewhiskey half-hidden underneath one of the sofa pillows._

 _She kicks the sofa angrily and he wakes up with a jolt, "Mione, you're up," He says sleepily._

" _You promised this time Harry," Hermione says weakly._

" _What are you talking about?" Harry asks, trying to fake his way through it._

 _Hermione picks up the bottle and holds it up in front of him, "Were you drunk last night when you asked me?"_

" _Hermione-"_

" _Were you Harry?" Hermione hisses, "Because I really thought you were better this time. You seemed so much more like your old self and then you go and do this. Aren't you happy? Do I not make you happy?"_

" _Hermione, I-"_

" _Just tell me the truth Harry," Hermione says in a dangerously quiet voice, "Were you drunk last night when you asked me to marry you?"_

" _I had been drinking, but I wasn't drunk Hermione-"_

 _The tears she has been holding in spill out and Hermione pulls the ring from her finger, "Keep it," She says, throwing the ring violently at him and ignoring his half-formed excuses. She leaves the house and apparates to her parents' home._

 _It is only the following day when she and Neville drag Harry to St. Mungo's and she pays for a 4_ _th_ _bout of rehabilitation treatment that Hermione realises the date of his 'relapse'. It had been the 2_ _nd_ _of May._

Hermione sighs heavily. Harry's problems with alcohol had scared her back then. The more he drank, the more she lost of the man she had fallen in love with. The more times she put him into St. Mungo's the more she had begun to doubt whether he would ever really get better. Every time he got out he had gotten her hopes up and then he had found a bottle of firewhiskey somewhere and the whole vicious circle had started again. That 5th time Hermione put him into St. Mungo's she had promised herself that it was the last time she would put herself through that. Then while Harry had been in rehab that final time, Hermione had reconciled with Draco in Inverness over that story about the Kelpie that the Muggles called the Loch Ness Monster.

Although she knew that she hadn't been in the wrong Hermione still feels guilty for developing feelings for Draco while she was still devoted to Harry. Technically they hadn't been together but Hermione still had feelings for Harry and she still had some stupid, naïve hope that he would eventually be the guy she loved again.

She jumps as the door to the snug opens and Harry walks in, looking about as surprised to see her there as she is to see him.

"Sorry," Hermione says as soon as she finds her voice, "I was just looking for somewhere to escape the world and I found myself here. I don't really know how I…well I should go."

She got to her feet but Harry shakes his head, "No, you can stay. I bought this place for us, that does give you a right to come here if you want. I just didn't expect to see you here, I come quite a lot but you haven't been back here since everything fell apart between us."

Hermione nods, thinking back to the last time she was in this house.

" _So how are you doing?"_

" _Don't do the whole therapist crap with me Hermione," Harry sighs as they drink coffee in the kitchen, "I know I'm a wreck, trust me on that one."_

" _I just mean...is it helping this time? The treatment?" Hermione asks._

 _Harry nods, "Better than the last few times. But it doesn't help that they don't let visitors in."_

" _It's the rules, you're lucky they gave you a day out," Hermione says, things seem tense between them for obvious reasons given the fact that they had basically broken up before Harry had gone into St. Mungo's. His last bout of uncontrollable alcoholic induced magical rage had nearly killed Hermione and neither of them can forget about that._

 _Harry nods, "Look Hermione, I know you've been seeing Malfoy. They let us have newspapers in there and one of the women gets Witch Weekly."_

 _Hermione's heart sinks. In a night she has regretted ever since, she had slept with Draco after their dinner that weekend in Inverness. It still makes her feel guilty, like she is cheating on Harry even when she isn't. Especially because she has developed feelings for Draco, something she never thought would be possible._

" _Harry-"_

" _I don't want you to Hermione," Harry says, placing his hand on hers, "When I get out this time I'll stay sober, I promise. You and me can be together, like we were before this mess."_

 _Hermione wants to believe that, but she doesn't. Even so, when Harry kisses her a surge of something akin to electricity shoots through her body and that never happens with Draco. Before she can stop herself she is kissing him back and undoing the buttons of his shirt hastily while he pulls off her t-shirt._

" _I love you Hermione," Harry mumbles against her skin as he moves his mouth to her neck and in that moment she forgets about Draco and her developing feelings for him entirely._

 _Somehow she finds herself only wearing her underwear and Harry lifts her up and carries her to their bedroom with their mattress on the floor. Despite how wrong it feels to screw over Harry and Draco in this way, Hermione is helpless to resist Harry. She has been ever since that night Ron left them during the war and that is why they are in this painful mess in the first place._

Hermione draws herself away from the thoughts, she has never forgiven herself for Harry's descent into alcoholism. She is 100% sure if they hadn't slept together and admitted to feelings for each other during the war he would have gone back to Ginny. Had he done that things would have been very different, Hermione is positive he would have had a happier life. It was her, their radio show and his position in the limelight, those were the reasons he drank and she has convinced herself of that so entirely that it would take a lot of convincing to tell her otherwise.

Harry is thinking back to another time, the day Hermione threw his ring back at him. She is also pretty certain he doesn't remember that night when he had been out of St. Mungo's because he had already been drunk when he met Hermione at the house. They have never talked about it and Hermione doesn't see now as a fit time to bring it up.

"I'll leave."

"I told you Hermione, you don't have to," Harry says gently, sitting down on the armchair and tapping the spot next to him, "If I didn't want you here you wouldn't have been able to get in."

"Why didn't you change the wards?" Hermione asks, unable to look at him.

Harry's voice displays any emotion that would have been on his face anyway, "I was hopeful you would come back here one day, to find me..." he clears his throat, "...and I suppose I never really let go of that hope."

Hermione frowns down at the floor, feeling torn about whether she should stay or go.

"Stay, Hermione," Harry says softly, he taps the armchair again.

She looks at it longingly for a moment and then sits down next to him. He glances at the two videos that are no longer in the stack, "Dirty Dancing and Grease? You clearly need feel good films. What's up?"

"Draco," Hermione admits, because it feels so good to have someone she trusts to talk to again, "The campaign has changed him, like I said it would. Power goes to his head, I can't stand to be in the same room as him. All we do is fight, today he tried to convince me to let the kids be part of his campaign."

Harry scoffs, "I hope you said no."

"Of course I did, I don't want my kids getting caught up in everything that we got caught up in," Hermione says darkly, "Children should never be the subject of the media. I don't want people writing stories about them before they're old enough to understand why."

"It makes me feel sick you know," Harry says with a frown, "To think of them doing to Teddy or Cassie what they did to us. Teddy's in 4th year and to me he's still a kid. They were writing stories about us then, making you out to be some man-eating gold digger who dated people for their fame. It takes someone sick to do that to a 15-year-old."

Hermione nods and chances a glance over at Harry, "You love him like a son, don't you?"

Harry nods and catches her eye, "Of course I do. He's the closest thing I have to a child. It is something that I wanted so badly when I was young. I just wanted a family and I screwed up my best chance of having that with the way I lived back then...sometimes I think Ted's my redemption."

"Well you did a pretty good job with Cassie too," Hermione says softly, "She looks up to you and she admires you."

Harry shakes his head, "No, Cassie being the shining star that she is has nothing to do with me and everything to do with you. I'm just her Uncle Harry who shows up on special occasions, you made that girl special."

"Draco had a hand in it too you know," Hermione says, tearing her eyes away from Harry, "You can think what you want of him, but he's a good Father."

"I know," Harry says, somewhat stiffly, "How did he take you telling him that you wouldn't let the kids go campaigning?"

Hermione shuts her eyes as she feels a headache come on, "Not well. He's working tomorrow too, so the family day that I promised Cassie and Scorp isn't going to go to plan either."

"What are you doing?" Harry asks curiously.

"Taking the kids to see a Puddlemere game and having a picnic," Hermione says, opening her eyes, "The whole idea was to spend some time as a family before I leave but...Draco didn't even seem to feel guilty about saying no."

Harry shakes his head, "Well that figures, doesn't it? As soon as he gets a taste of glory he wants it. Who ever thought letting him run for Minister was a good idea?"

"His Mother," Hermione retorts.

"Go figure," Harry says sarcastically, "He's an idiot if he's passing up a day with his family to sit in an office looking at numbers. If I was Malfoy I'd have jumped at the chance."

"Harry," Hermione says, a tone of warning slipping into her voice.

"He's your husband, I know," Harry says with a sad smile, "But like I said when I found out you had married him, that doesn't mean I have to like him. What's next, _The Sound of Music_?"

Hermione smiles at the video in his hand and nods, "Yeah."

"I should really upgrade to a Blu-ray player or whatever the muggle kids are using these days," Harry says casually as he begins to rewind the film, "Apparently you press a button and the whole film goes back to the start."

Hermione laughs, "Oh I know, but there's something familiar about a video and I like the fact you have to rewind it."

"That's because you never do it," Harry teases, "I'm the one who always rewinds the films."

Hermione laughs again. She feels both scared and relaxed. It scares her that this still feels so familiar after so long. It scares her to see how easy it is for them to slip back into their old ways like this.

 **TBC :)  
**


	7. Home Truths

**Fade Into You**

 **Chapter 7 - Home Truths  
**

When Hermione wakes up early the next morning leaning on Harry's shoulder her heart sinks. She knows that there is no way she can keep denying her feelings for him anymore as she tiptoes from the room and leaves the house. She gulps in the cool morning air of the forest and pulls her phone from her pocket.

" _If Draco asks, I was at yours last night,"_ She sends to Hannah.

There is a text from Sebastian waiting for her too, _"You are due at the London Apparition Centre at 9am on Monday morning. You know the drill, get there for around 8am."_

Hermione takes another breath and sits down on a slightly damp bench next to the door. She sends Sebastian a thank you for letting her know and shuts her eyes briefly. All of these years have passed and she has largely been able to forget about Harry, but not anymore. She doesn't have a reason to want to be with Draco anymore which means she has a dozen reasons for wanting to be with Harry.

Nothing has happened, well nothing physical. Just a lot of reminiscing, watching films and falling asleep in each other's arms. Hermione has to suppress a groan at her thoughts and then her phone vibrates.

" _Sure. Where were you really if I'm your cover?"_

Hermione replies, " _Harry's old place in the Forest of Dean. I'll explain before I go to Australia, are you busy tomorrow?"_

Almost instantly she gets a reply, _"No, I'll get Nev to watch the kids. That new place in Diagon Alley at 6?"_

" _Sounds great,"_ Hermione replies, tucking her phone in her pocket and doing a few glamour charms to freshen herself up. Without looking back at the house she shuts her eyes, spins on her heel and apparates to the gates of the house she shares with Draco.

She sneaks into the entrance hall and tiptoes into the kitchen where she grabs a slice of toast and puts the kettle on. It is 6am, so she expects everybody else to still be in bed but there is a note from Draco on the kitchen countertop.

" _I had to go to work early today with the campaign taking its toll. I'll be home late too so don't wait up for me. Have a good day with the kids._

 _Draco."_

It is signed exactly like that, Draco. Not 'love Draco', just Draco.

If Hermione had any hope of salvaging things between before, she has next to none now.

* * *

"Morning Mum," Cassie says, throwing herself onto a stool and grabbing some toast from the stack on the kitchen bar.

"Morning," Hermione says with a smile, "How did you sleep last night?"

"Good," Cassie says cheerfully, "Where's Dad? Is he still in bed?"

"He's-"

Before Hermione can finish Scorpius walks into the kitchen, rubbing sleep out of his eyes and yawning. He pulls himself up onto a bar stool and looks around, "Where's Dad?"

"He's at work," Hermione says quietly, "The campaign is very hectic and he said he couldn't get away."

"Not even for family day?" Scorpius asks, sounding incredibly hurt.

Hermione shakes her head, she feels guilty about this because she has to be the one to break the news.

Cassie sighs, "Well why doesn't Uncle Harry come instead then?"

Hermione opens her mouth and then shuts it, "Why…why would Uncle Harry want to come?"

"Because Puddlemere is his favourite team," Cassie replies, "He took me to my first ever game when I was like 3."

"Dad took me to my first ever game," Scorpius says thoughtfully.

"Dad worked a lot more when Cassie was young Scorp," Hermione explains, "Uncle Harry took care of Cassie when I was busy."

"He'd love to come," Cassie says brightly.

"And he's part of the family," Scorpius pipes up, "So he's allowed to come to family day, isn't he?"

Hermione wants to think of a reason to say no but she can't. The kids both love Harry and they have been raised to think of him as family. She has no real reason to say no, so she takes her phone out of her pocket, "Alright I'll ask him, but I expect he's probably very busy so don't get your hopes up okay?"

Both kids nod and Hermione dials Harry's number while they watch hopefully.

" _Hello?"_

"Hi Harry," Hermione says, suddenly feeling very nervous "I know this is really short notice and you probably have a lot on today with us leaving on Monday for Australia-"

" _Nope, I have no plans at all,_ " Harry cuts in.

Hermione curses inwardly and continues, "Well the kids and I are going to a Puddlemere game today and Draco has to work so they asked if you wanted to join us instead."

" _That sounds great. Do you mind if I bring Teddy along?"_ Harry asks.

"Do you mind if Harry brings Teddy along?" Hermione asks Cassie and Scorpius who both shake their heads.

"No Harry, that's fine. The game starts at 3 so we'll meet you and Teddy outside the Puddlemere ground at 2.30?" Hermione suggests.

" _Sure, I'll see you there Hermione."_

"See you there," Hermione says, hanging up the phone and putting it back in her pocket.

"So he's coming?" Cassie asks.

"He and Teddy are both coming," Hermione says with a false smile. She is struggling to pretend to Harry that there is nothing between them but friendship and now she has to act like nothing has changed in front of her children which she knows will be difficult. She suppresses a sigh as she makes her way upstairs to get dressed for the day. So much for a fun, relaxing family day out.

* * *

"Mum?"

Hermione turns around to see Cassie standing in the doorway to the bedroom she shares with Draco, "What's up Cass?" She asks.

"I heard you and Dad arguing the other day, about Uncle Harry," Cassie admits, "And I wasn't going to ask because it's not my business but…"

She trails off and Hermione says, "Your Dad and Uncle Harry don't like each other Cass. They try and get on for me because Harry is my friend but we all went to Hogwarts together and they weren't friends then."

"Weren't friends?" Cassie asks with a frown, "Mum, Ross says they hated each other."

Hermione sighs deeply, "They did. Your Dad was a Slytherin and Harry and I, and Ross's Dad Uncle Ron, were Gryffindors. Back then that meant we didn't really mix and your Dad bullied Uncle Harry an awful lot. So when your Dad and I got married he found it hard to be around Uncle Harry."

"Oh," Cassie says, deep in thought, "Will he be angry that Uncle Harry is coming with us today?"

"No, of course not," Hermione lies, "He will just be happy that you and Scorpius will be having a good time. Now you should probably get dressed, I was planning on taking you down to Diagon Alley for ice cream before the game."

Cassie smiles, "Okay, thanks Mum," She says as she leaves the room.

As soon as she has shut the door, Hermione puts a silencing charm on the room and rings Hannah.

" _Hey Hermione, what's up?"_

"Harry," Hermione says, well practically groans, "Look Hannah these feelings are coming back with a vengeance and that is bad enough. But now Draco can't make family day because he's working and the kids asked me to invite Harry instead so I did."

" _Wow, so let me get this straight…you and Harry are taking the kids out for family day?"_

"Yes, exactly. Me, Harry, Cassie, Scorp and Teddy are going to a Puddlemere game this afternoon as a family," Hermione says, "And I don't know what to do. I can barely conceal my feelings from Harry, how am I supposed to make sure the kids don't catch on?"

" _Are you having an affair Hermione?"_ Hannah asks in an undertone, _"Are you sleeping with him?"_

"No," Hermione replies entirely honestly, "I fell asleep at the old house last night with him. We were just sitting watching films, nothing happened."

" _Physically at least,"_ Hannah retorts, _"How did you keep this all in for years? And why is it all spilling back out now?"_

Hermione sighs, "I never really felt it when Draco and I were happy. But now...running for Minister is changing Draco, he's turning into the guy he was before, the one I hated. I can barely stand to be around him, he's even bailing on the kids which isn't like him."

" _So you don't have a reason to root for your relationship with Draco anymore, since he's turning into an asshole on this power trip of his,"_ Hannah says slowly, " _Meaning you no longer have a reason to stop yourself from feeling something for Harry. Right?"_

"I guess," Hermione says, "In the past Harry was bad news, but he hasn't had a drop of anything alcoholic for years now. He's the same guy he was when I…well you know what I mean. Whereas Draco is becoming that person I can't stand to be around again."

" _I get it Hermione, I really do. But you need to make a decision soon, I get that you think going to Australia is going to be good for you and Draco and maybe you're right. Some space might fix all that needs fixing, but if it doesn't then what?"_

"Then I don't know."

" _Exactly and look at it this way. You and Draco are in a bad place right now so do you_ _ **really**_ _think going to Australia with Harry for months is going to help? This could very quickly spiral into an affair which could very quickly ruin a lot of lives, your kids included,"_ Hannah says sincerely.

"I know that Hannah but I swear, it won't become an affair," Hermione says firmly.

" _Well sooner or later you'll have to either think about a divorce or try and fix things with Draco. You know that right?"_ Hannah asks.

"I know that, why do you think I'm so eager to escape for a month or two?"

" _Alright, well at least you know how close to self-destruction you are,"_ Hannah teases, _"Are we still on for tomorrow?"_

"Of course we are, I'll see you then. Thanks for the…comforting…chat Han," Hermione says.

Hannah chuckles on the other end of the phone, " _That's what friends are for Hermione. See you tomorrow."_

The phone goes dead and Hermione falls back onto her bed as she tries to come up with some sort of strategic plan to get through the day.

* * *

Hermione has already picked out their picnic spot when Harry arrives with Teddy. Cassie and Scorpius are looking through Quidditch Weekly and talking about the players who will be playing today. This match is a friendly between Puddlemere and the Appleby Arrows, everyone in the Malfoy family is rooting for Puddlemere because Cassie and Scorpius both support the team.

"Uncle Harry's here," Scorpius says, glancing up from his magazine and waving to Harry.

Harry waves back, "Hey Scorpius," he says with a smile.

"Hi," Scorpius says, looking back to the magazine.

Cassie jumps to her feet and hugs Harry, "Uncle Harry, I haven't seen you since Christmas!"

Harry smiles and hugs her back, "Sorry Cass, I've been working a lot. Blame your Mum for that one."

Cassie laughs and Hermione gets to her feet and hugs Harry, "Thanks for coming today," She says.

Harry nods happily and Hermione then turns to Teddy, "Hey Ted, how did he wrangle you out of school?"

Teddy grins, "There are perks to having the chosen one as your Godfather," he says simply. Today his hair is black and his eyes are pale green.

Hermione laughs and they all settle down on the large blanket. They are going to have a great view when the game starts.

"So Cass, Hogwarts in September right?" Harry asks.

Cassie nods eagerly, "I can't wait!"

"I bet, what house do you think you'll be in?" Harry asks her.

Cassie shrugs, "My Dad says Slytherin but I think Ravenclaw."

"Not a Gryffindor like your Mum?" Harry asks, smiling at Hermione.

Hermione shakes her head, "No, I don't think so. She's much smarter than me and she doesn't need to be in Gryffindor like I did."

Harry frowns but before he can say anymore the game begins. The kids very quickly get captivated by the match and Harry shuffles closer to Hermione, "What did you mean by that?"

"Don't you believe in destiny?" Hermione asks.

"Isn't that like believing in Divination?" Harry asks with a raised eyebrow.

Hermione rolls her eyes, "No, that's all nonsense. But people exist for a reason and things happen for a reason. Can't you imagine how different things would have been if I hadn't been in Gryffindor? If I hadn't been there to help you?"

"So you think if it hadn't been for me, you would have been in Ravenclaw?" Harry asks thoughtfully.

Hermione fixes him with a long look, "Or Slytherin, according to you."

"You know that I didn't mean that," Harry says apologetically.

"I know," Hermione says with a small smile, "And all that I meant is that there was a prophecy about you in that hall. How do you know I didn't have one? One saying that I was destined to be a Witch to help you?"

"That's a pretty powerful statement," Harry says, catching her eye.

Hermione shakes her head, "I meant as a friend Harry."

Harry nods, "I know what you meant," he says, brushing his hand over hers gently as he pretends to reach for something in the picnic basket.

Hermione looks away and tries to focus her attention on the match. They don't talk again until the match breaks for lunch and they serve out the food in the picnic basket. They all get talking again and the subject of the matter somehow becomes Draco.

"Thanks for coming instead of Dad today," Cassie says to Harry.

Harry smiles somewhat sadly, "I'm happy to. What's so important to your Dad that he's missing such an awesome day?"

"His stupid campaign," Scorpius complains, "Nobody even wants him to be Minister for Magic."

"It just makes him and Mum fight all the time," Cassie says.

Hermione sighs, "Adults fight Cassie and your Father and I are no exception. We don't agree on everything."

"You don't agree on anything anymore," Cassie says.

"Hey Cass, at least you have two parents," Teddy says with a shrug, "So what if they argue? At least they love you and look out for you."

Harry gives Teddy a sympathetic glance, "Don't be a complete sulk, you've got me. I'm not a completely useless Godfather am I?"

Teddy smiles at Harry, "Nah, you're pretty good."

Harry chuckles and Cassie apologises to Teddy who shrugs it off with a smile. They finish eating and the game resumes, they all watch silently for a while until Harry can no longer _not_ ask the question buzzing around in his head.

"So it's true then? You and Malfoy?" Harry asks under his breath.

Hermione has been expecting it, the game looks like it is drawing to a close so the kids are captivated which gives Harry the perfect chance to ask awkward questions.

"I got the impression things were strained," Harry adds, "From the way you were talking last night."

"We're going through a rough time, that much is true," Hermione says honestly.

"But you aren't getting divorced?" Harry asks.

"We have two kids Harry," Hermione says in an undertone, "And nobody has done anything worthy of a divorce yet."

"Yet," Harry says with a shake of his head, "Your faith in your marriage is astounding Hermione."

Hermione glares at him, "It isn't any of your business what Draco and I are or aren't. You're my friend, I don't owe you anything."

"I know that," Harry says honestly, "I'm just worried about you. Lately you haven't been yourself and I thought Malfoy might have had something to do with it."

"Marriages are hard Harry," Hermione says, making sure the kids are still talking about the game. She lowers her voice, "It's not like your relationships that are full of sex and barely last a month."

Harry shoots her an irritated look "That's not fair. I actually like Chelsea, as hard as that may be for you to believe. The age gap gives me problems, morally that is."

"So it should," Hermione mutters.

"And even if I did want to be with her, she ruled it out," Harry continues, "She says she didn't want to date someone who is clearly in love with someone else."

Hermione's eyes snap up in surprise at those words. She inadvertently meets his eyes and he smiles slightly, "I guess some people just meet at the wrong time."

Hermione swallows and tried to ignore how dry her mouth has gotten, "I guess," she can only say.

Their little moment is over as quickly as it had begun because the crowd roar and cheer as Puddlemere's Seeker catch the snitch.

* * *

"Draco, we need to talk."

Draco sighs as Pansy walks into his office looking grim, "What is it?"

"The past," Pansy says with a frown, "It's going to come back to haunt you. It's going to haunt _us_. This campaign…they're digging deep."

"What are you talking about?" Draco asks from his desk, immediately on edge.

"Those people from the Ministry who questioned you," Pansy says, "My Husband knows of them. I told you that he works for the DMLE, didn't I?"

"In foreign affairs, yes," Draco says slowly, "Why?"

Pansy glances around before whispering, "We went out for dinner last night and we were talking about the campaign and about you. He told me that they were going to be doing an investigation."

"Into what?" Draco asks sharply.

"They have their concerns about your involvement in the war, with the Dark Lord," Pansy says quietly, "They are launching a full investigation into your war crimes."

"Then let them," Draco says after a moment of silence, "They will never find out what happened unless you tell them. You are the only witness, Pansy."

"I would never tell them!" Pansy hisses under her breath.

"You're as much of a Slytherin as I am, Pansy," Draco says as he gets to his feet and walks around the desk towards her. It is late and the office is closed to all but them and Narcissa.

"I know but I won't betray you. I would never betray you," Pansy says, "I swore that back then and I'm swearing it again now."

"Why?" Draco asks in disbelief, "Why should I believe you when for years we've not spoken? You were as quick as the others to abandon me when I married Hermione and now all of a sudden you've wormed your way back into my life with your help on my campaign-"

"No, stop right there!" Pansy exclaims, "You abandoned _me_ when you married Hermione! I said I would wait for you to get over what had happened in the war and I meant that. I thought you would come back to me, not marry a mudblood!"

Draco shakes his head in disbelief, "Don't talk about my wife like that."

"You barely talk about her and when you do it's to rant about Potter. Do you even know what she's doing? She spent today at a Quidditch match with your children, Potter and his Godson for Merlin's sake!"

"What?" Draco hisses.

Pansy nods, "Blaise was there with his daughter, he told me when he dropped the campaign paperwork off."

Draco leans against the desk as this sinks in, "Why are you doing this Pansy? All of this, why tell me that? Why keep my secret after all these years?"

"Because I love you," Pansy says, her voice catching in her throat, "Merlin Draco, isn't that obvious? I loved you then and I still do now."

Draco looks up in surprise and catches her eye, "What?"

Pansy can only nod and Draco is still so taken aback that he can't form words. Yes, he and Pansy had dated before the war kicked off and then they had sort of had a fling throughout and shortly after it. But love had never really been one of the things he considered. Back then he wasn't even sure what love was.

When he looks up Pansy is closer to him and he is startled, "I'm sorry," he says, "I was so caught up in the war that I didn't even…" he trails off and shakes his head.

"And now? How do you feel now?" Pansy whispers.

"I'm married, Pansy," Draco says, not taking his eyes away from hers.

"But you still feel something for me, don't you?" Pansy asks, "You like having me on this campaign, having me close to you."

Draco watches her silently.

Pansy stares right at him, "You want me to kiss you right now."

"Pansy-"

Before he can finish his sentence she kisses him and despite knowing it is wrong he kisses her back. For a brief moment guilt floods him, but then he pictures Hermione and _his_ family out for the day with Potter, the man who he has despised for as long as he can remember. Somehow, all that seems to do is fuel his desire for Pansy.

* * *

Scorpius is in bed and Cassie is in her bedroom when Hermione gets to her knees in front of the fireplace with a sigh. Draco still isn't home even though it is fast approaching midnight and dinner had been hours ago.

She throws some floo powder into the fire and it roars green. She speaks the name and address of the person she is calling and within a few seconds his head pops up amongst the flames.

Hermione smiles, she still finds it cute that Ron's hair blends in with the flames, "Hey Ron," she says fondly.

Ron smiles back, "Thanks for calling so late, the kids would have been running wild if you had called any earlier."

"I thought they might be," Hermione says with a chuckle, "And I really needed to talk to you alone."

"I figured," Ron says, "What's going on Hermione?"

"I'm sorry that I only call when I need something," Hermione says guiltily, "It's just hard to catch up with Draco and…" she trails off but she knows that Ron understands.

"Life is busy and a lot has changed," Ron agrees, "Are you okay? You seem on edge."

"Draco is running for Minister for Magic," Hermione sighs, "I don't have to tell you that of course but I hate what it's doing to him. I don't even want him to win, I'm rooting for Percy."

"Trust me so am I, and I never thought I'd say that," Ron says, making Hermione smile slightly.

"It's actually Harry I want to talk to you about though," Hermione says tentatively.

"Is he alright?" Ron asks.

Hermione nods, "For now but we're going out to Australia to work on a new show. It's a special for the Quidditch World Cup."

"I know," Ron nods, "I heard your trial on the radio the other day. It was good, I'll be tuning in."

Hermione smiles, "Thanks and I'm excited about it but I'm scared for Harry. The last time things got bad it was when we were doing these sorts of shows, the after-parties for the games have so much alcohol and temptation and I'm terrified Ron," she admits.

Ron nods sincerely, "You don't want him to go back there and neither do I. It's been years though Hermione."

"Yes but hes been in the background and hes back in the limelight now," Hermione points out, "And I know he thinks he can handle it but what if he can't? He could really hurt himself, or someone else."

Ron nods again, "I know and I think you're right. I'll put feelers out, make sure that if he does anything suspicious we can get on it before it gets like the last time."

"Thank you so much Ron," Hermione says, incredibly grateful for the fact her old friend is an Auror.

"Hey, the last thing I want is for him to hurt you again," Ron says honestly, "You know I'd do anything to protect you."

"I really appreciate it," Hermione says entirely honestly, "And hopefully I'll see you at the final? I scored you, Alicia and the kids tickets."

Ron grins, "Hermione, you are amazing! I like the benefits of having a best friend in the media business!"

Hermione laughs and says, "It's the least I can do after everything you helped me through with Harry all those years ago."

Ron smiles and says, "I've got to head off, I've got a dawn raid tomorrow. But I'll keep an eye on Harry, I promise."

"Thanks again Ron," Hermione says with a smile, "I'll talk to you again soon."

"Yeah, it was nice seeing you again Hermione," Ron says fondly as the floo roars green once more and his face disappears from the flames.

* * *

"Draco, can we please talk?"

"I'm tired Hermione," Draco sighs, "I've been working all day."

"I know but in two days I leave for Australia and I think we need to talk," Hermione says desperately. After her conversation with Ron she needs to at least try and fix things with Draco.

"What do we need to talk about?" Draco asks, turning from where he stands in the doorway of the living room.

There is a coldness in his eyes that scares and hurts Hermione, "Us, the way we've been lately."

"Is that it?" Draco asks coldly, "Because I think we should talk about the fact you took Potter out on your family excursion today."

"How do you know about that?" Hermione asks cautiously, "Did you follow us?"

Draco scoffs, "No, I have better things to do, like work. Blaise was at the match, he saw you."

"I was going to tell you but since you've just got in from work-"

"Don't try and turn this on me, don't blame your affair on the fact I have to work hard," Draco says coldly.

Hermione is so fed up with all of this. She pulls out her wand and glares at Draco as she says, "Accio veritaserum."

"What are you doing?" Draco drawls.

"Showing you that you're wrong," Hermione says hotly as the bottle flies into her hand and she sips from it.

Draco rolls his eyes, "Hermione, you are being ridiculous."

"Ask me," Hermione says as she glares determinedly at him.

Draco leans against the wall, "Are you having an affair with Potter?"

"No," Hermione replies.

Draco scoffs "Then you're lying. You didn't take veritaserum."

"Oh, I took it," Hermione says, "Ask me another."

"Have you slept with Potter since you married me?" Draco asks.

"No," Hermione replies.

"Have you kissed Potter since you married me?" Draco asks with a raised eyebrow.

"No, he kissed me and I pulled away," Hermione says.

Draco laughs nastily, "Then you definitely didn't take it."

"I took it," Hermione says, "But why don't you take it and then you'll know it really is the real thing."

"Don't be stupid, Hermione," Draco drawls.

"If you have nothing to hide you'll take it," Hermione says, thrusting the bottle into his hand.

"I don't have to prove anything to you," Draco says.

Hermione's glare is burning into him, "So you do have something to hide then?"

"Of course I have nothing to hide!" Draco snaps.

"Then take it!" Hermione snaps back, "And prove that!"

"Fine," Draco says coolly, taking a few sips from the bottle and putting it down on the table.

Hermione fixes him with a determined and asks, "Have you slept with anyone else since you married me?"

"No," Draco replies.

"Have you kissed anyone else since you married me?" Hermione asks.

There is a very slight pause and then Draco says, "Yes."

Hermione recoils in shock and finds herself against the opposite wall of the living room staring at his icy blue eyes, "Who?" she asks.

"Pansy Parkinson," Draco says in a dead tone of voice.

"When?" Hermione whispers, angrily wiping her stray tears away.

"Earlier today," Draco replies.

Hermione is so angry she feels like killing him, but she is also so upset she just wants to curl up into a ball and cry. She can't figure out which emotion is stronger as she glares at him, "You hypocritical bastard!" she seethes.

Draco glares right back at her, "Two can play at this game. Are you in love with Potter?"

Hermione tries to fight the veritaserum. Draco can see her wrestling for control but it is too strong and she fails.

"Yes," She chokes out, unsure whether she is crying at Draco's betrayal or her own.

"Do you love him more than you love me?" Draco asks, trying to hide the tears burning in his eyes.

"No," Hermione whispers.

"So you love me more?" Draco asks, surprised by that turn of events.

"I love you both equally," Hermione chokes out.

Draco's glare is colder than Hermione has ever seen it as he looks her directly in the eye as he says, "So who really cheated on the other, Hermione?"

Hermione is so angry, with Draco and with herself. She feels sick as everything begins to unravel right in front of her. She turns away from him and walks out of the house in a haze of pain and confusion. In her dazed state she apparates to the safest place that she knows.

The Forest of Dean.

* * *

When Hannah walks into the new bar in Diagon Alley Hermione is already sitting at a table anxiously tapping her foot against the hardwood floor.

"Hey," Hermione says with a meagre smile as Hannah sits down.

"You look like hell," Hannah says softly.

"I feel like it too," Hermione admits.

"You can't go on like this Hermione," Hannah says gently, "When did you last talk to Draco, properly?"

"By properly do you mean without arguing?" Hermione asks sadly.

"Or without awkwardness," Hannah says, watching her friend with concerned eyes.

"In that case, about a month ago," Hermione says, keeping her eyes on the table, "And we haven't slept together for…well longer than that. We haven't even kissed in weeks."

"Are you even together?" Hannah asks in disbelief.

"It doesn't feel like it," Hermione says, finally looking up with tears in her eyes.

"What happened?" Hannah asks, seeing right through her best friend.

"He kissed Pansy Parkinson, she's working on his campaign," Hermione says quietly, "He didn't believe that Harry and I weren't having an affair so I took veritaserum and made him ask me. He thought I had lied about taking it so I made him take it and then I asked him. He hasn't slept with her…yet."

"Merlin, Hermione," Hannah says, "I'm so sorry."

"I suppose I should be grateful it was just a kiss but if I hadn't asked him tonight…if I hadn't found out Hannah…it would have been so much more," Hermione says, once more trying not to cry.

Hannah reaches across the table and takes her friends hand, "I understand Hermione."

"It gets worse," Hermione says miserably, "He asked me if I was in love with Harry and if I loved Harry more than I loved him."

"What was your answer?" Hannah asks gently.

"That i loved him and Harry equally," Hermione whispers, looking at Hannah with such pain in her eyes.

Hannah sighs and grips Hermione's hand, "Oh Hermione. What are you going to do?"

"I don't know," Hermione admits, "I don't want a divorce, I don't want to do that to the kids but Draco and I just...we aren't us anymore Hannah. I don't like the man he's becoming again."

"I think you do want a divorce and I think he does too if he has been unfaithful," Hannah says, squeezing her friends hand.

"I leave tomorrow, I can't work this out before then," Hermione says weakly.

"Then maybe giving it time while you're in Australia is a good idea. If you both feel the same after that…well then think about a divorce," Hannah suggests, "This isn't healthy Hermione. I haven't seen you so unstable since the Harry days."

"I know," Hermione says, a sob escaping her.

Hannah says sighs and moves across to hug Hermione, "Come on, let's get out of here," she whispers in her ear.

Hermione nods and they leave the bar together, apparating on Hermione's insistence to the house in the Forest of Dean where she had spent the previous night. Once they were in the safety and comfort of the little snug room Harry has created for her, Hermione lets it all out.

Hermione doesn't cry often but she does then. She lets Hannah hug her, she lets Hannah tell her that things will work out even though she doesn't believe her friend. Eventually, she feels able to talk about it all.

"When did my life get so complicated Han? What did I do to deserve this?" Hermione asks through her tears.

"You didn't do anything to deserve this and neither did Harry. The war just hurt him, it hurt a lot of people Hermione," Hannah soothes, "And you have to look on the bright side. Your relationship with Draco was good while it lasted. You had a lot of good years with him and he gave you two wonderful children."

"One," Hermione corrects.

Hannah frowns, "One what?"

"One wonderful child," Hermione whispers.

Hannah's frown deepens, "I'm not sure I understand what you're saying here Hermione. Did you have an affair? Because Scorpius is Draco's spitting image."

"Yes, he is," Hermione says, wiping her eyes, "Scorpius looks just like his Father. But Cassie doesn't because…Draco isn't her Father."

Hannah's eyes widen with realisation, "Oh my god Hermione...no."

Hermione nods, a sob escaping her once more, "That's why I can never be with Harry. Not when I've kept the truth from him for so long."

"Hermione-"

"I can't lie to him if we're together," Hermione whispers, "I wouldn't be able to keep up the lie and he can never find out the truth...never Hannah."

"Hermione," Hannah breathes, "How have you kept this quiet for so long? How did you keep it from Draco?"

"I didn't," Hermione says, looking up at her friend like a lost little girl. She looks broken and afraid, just as she had looked when she finally had the courage to tell Harry that things were over for good, "He knew all along but he loved Cassie regardless."

"Regardless of the fact she is Harry's daughter," Hannah breathes.

Hermione nods, not breaking eye contact with Hannah, "Harry can never find out that he's Cassie's Father Hannah."

 **TBC :)  
**


	8. Don't Look Back in Anger

**Fade Into You**

 **Chapter 8 - Don't Look Back in Anger  
**

"She has feelings for me."

"Hi Harry," Neville says sarcastically, "Nice to see you too. What have you been up to?"

Harry smiles at his friend, "Hi Neville. How are you? What have you been up to?"

"I'm great Harry," Neville says in exasperated amusement as Harry walks into his living room.

"Are the kids in bed?" Harry asks, surveying the empty room.

Neville nods, "Yes, and Hannah is out."

"With Hermione?" Harry guesses, throwing himself onto Neville's sofa.

"Yes," Neville says with a raised eyebrow, "What's going on? I thought you were dating someone who is far too young for you."

"I was never dating her," Harry says dryly, "I actually quite liked her but she didn't want to be involved with me."

"Because you're an old man?" Neville asks.

Harry shoots his friend an irritated look, "Because she didn't want to be second best when she could see I was in love with someone else."

"You're in love with someone else?" Neville asks with fake surprise, "Who is it? Could it maybe be...oh I don't know, Hermione?"

"Neville, you're not being very helpful," Harry says irritably.

Neville smiles slightly, "Sorry, do carry on."

"The thing is, I'll always have feelings for Hermione," Harry admits, "I've just come to terms with that but what I didn't realise until these past few weeks is that she still has feelings for me too."

"She's married," Neville reminds Harry.

"Her marriage is falling apart Neville. I went out with her and her kids on family day yesterday because Malfoy bailed on them. The kids said that all they've done since Malfoy started to run for Minister is fight," Harry says with an almost triumphant look on his face.

"So you're having an affair with her now?" Neville asks with a raised eyebrow.

"No," Harry frowns, "Of course not. I might not like the fact she's married to Malfoy but I would never put Cassie and Scorpius through that."

"Well you have some decency then," Neville says with narrowed eyes, "Even if you are happy that her marriage is falling apart."

"I'm not happy about it," Harry says, "I hate seeing Hermione miserable and anyone can see that Malfoy is clearly making her unhappy right now. I won't deny that there's definitely something between us though, she spent the night at our old place in the Forest of Dean a few nights ago. Nothing happened but we talked and it felt like it used to. Then she invited me out to family day and there have been these comments and lingering looks between us-"

"Harry," Neville says with a sigh, "You can't get your hopes up here. Regardless of whatever is going on in that marriage, Hermione is still married. She still has two children, she'll never do anything that will hurt them and having an affair falls into that category."

"Neville, stop being such a downer," Harry says, "I know nothing can happen while she's still married to Malfoy but I've got hope for the first time in years."

"Harry, all I'm saying is don't get your hopes up too much," Neville says gently, "The last time you did that you were crushed and you ended up back in St. Mungo's. That's what pushed Hermione to Malfoy in the first place."

"Things are different now," Harry insists, "I'm sober, I haven't had anything for years Neville. You know that, Hermione knows that."

"Do you think that means she can trust you again?" Neville asks, "Because it doesn't. She'll always be walking on eggshells around you, scared that something might set you off and send you back to your old ways."

"That's not going to happen Neville, I'm better this time," Harry says fiercely, "And Hermione knows that, she has to know that."

"Have you ever just thought about moving on? Just for one minute have you considered that it might be the best thing for both of you?" Neville asks in disbelief, "Hermione has been married for years Harry, she has had two children with that man. What makes you think she'll be so quick to come running back to you?"

Harry sinks lower into the sofa with a sigh, "I've just got a feeling when I'm around her. She seems different, like she used to be. That wall she put up when she married Malfoy, it's gone."

"Then she's vulnerable at the moment and you shouldn't take advantage of her," Neville warns him.

"You really think I'd take advantage of Hermione?" Harry asks angrily as he gets to his feet, "Do you really think I could do that Neville?"

Neville calmly replies, "Well you smashed a whole cabinet full of glasses when you lost your temper in a drunken rage and she ended up in hospital so yeah, I do think you are capable of hurting her."

"I couldn't control my magic then Neville and I will _always_ regret that!" Harry hisses, "I would never take advantage of her, I would never put her in a situation she didn't want to be in! Is it so hard for you to believe that maybe she wants me back as much as I want her back?"

"Yes, Harry it is," Neville says quietly, "Because the amount of times you broke her heart and the amount of times you hurt her make me believe that she is never going to want to go back to that life again."

Harry walks towards the door angrily, ready to leave and with the thought of firewhiskey on his mind. He gets to the door and stops, Neville doesn't say anything and Harry slowly turns around to face him.

"You're right Neville," Harry says quietly, "Why would she ever want me?"

Neville sighs, "Well the fact you didn't just storm out of here and have a drink is an improvement so maybe there is some hope. But don't get too much of it Harry, it will only hurt all the more if you aren't what she wants."

Harry just nods, "Night Neville," he says as he leaves the house.

* * *

"Okay I need you to calm the hell down and explain," Hannah says, pacing the kitchen of the old cottage, "Because I can't help until I understand and right now, I really don't understand."

"Cassie is Harry's daughter," Hermione says as she stares into her coffee mug, "He is her biological Father."

"Yes, I understand that part," Hannah says with a firm look, "But how is that even possible?"

Hermione gives Hannah a pointed look and Hannah glares at her, "You know what I mean Hermione. Harry was in St. Mungo's for 6 months and when you married Draco you were two months pregnant with Cassie. How could Harry possibly be her Father?"

Hermione speaks quietly, "Harry got one day of special leave from St. Mungo's for doing well. He got drunk before he even showed up at the house and me being my stupid naïve self, I didn't realise. We argued about how he didn't like me seeing Draco, then we slept together."

"And you're sure Harry's her Father?" Hannah asks, stunned by all of this.

Hermione nods, "I was honest with Draco from the moment I found out I was pregnant. When Cassie was born we did a test and Draco wasn't her biological Father so I knew Harry must be."

"How can Harry not know, or at least suspect it?" Hannah asks.

"He was drunk," Hermione says simply, "He never mentioned it so I assumed that he woke up in a haze the next day and hasn't remembered."

"And you never told him?" Hannah asks in disbelief.

"I married Draco because I knew he could look after us and I knew Harry wasn't fit to be a Father. He was a complete failure to Teddy in those early years," Hermione explains, "I didn't want him to hurt Cassie or give her false hope like he did to me."

Hannah nods, she is shocked but she understands, "Who else knows about this?"

"Draco, Narcissa and you," Hermione says, "Cassie doesn't know and I don't want her to."

"And you won't tell Harry?" Hannah asks, "Even though he's better now?"

"Is he ever really going to be better? Anything could send him over the edge to drink, including finding out about Cassie and the fact I lied to him about her," Hermione says.

Hannah sighs, "At least I know why Draco hates having Harry around so much now. But what would you do if you told Harry and he didn't run off and drink?"

"He would, that's all he's ever done in a bad situation," Hermione argues.

"Yes, but what if he didn't?" Hannah asks again.

"Well then I would know he is in a state to be a good Father," Hermione says honestly.

"Don't you think you owe him that chance?" Hannah asks.

Hermione shakes her head angrily, "I don't owe him anything Hannah, not after everything that happened. I don't owe him a thing."

"Well that's up to you but I think that every parent should have a chance to know their child," Hannah says stubbornly.

"That's your opinion and I disagree with it," Hermione says, her fierce gaze meeting Hannah's.

The blonde girl narrows her eyes, "Fine. That's your decision. What are you going to do about your relationship with Draco?"

"I'm going to go to Australia and figure out what the hell to do when I come back," Hermione says with a determined look on her face.

"And you are never going to tell Harry or Cassie the truth?" Hannah asks.

"Never," Hermione confirms.

"What if the truth comes out all by itself?" Hannah asks, "It has a way of doing that you know."

"It won't," Hermione says firmly.

"You can't know that for sure," Hannah says, "If it does and you aren't the one to tell them you could lose them all. You could lose your daughter, the man you love and the man you married. Are you sure you want to gamble everything that you care about?"

"I don't have a choice," Hermione says, "If I tell Cassie, Harry finds out. Either way Cassie will hate me for lying to her and Harry will fall over the edge with the betrayal. To protect them both I have to keep this from them."

Hannah fixes her with a long look, "I think you're making a mistake."

Hermione sighs and tears her eyes away from Hannah's, "I don't _have_ a choice, Hannah," she says again.

* * *

"Okay then! I'm all ready to go," Hermione says with a false smile as she stands in the entrance hall of her home, "So where are my hugs?"

Scorpius runs forward first and wraps his arms around her, "I'm going to miss you Mum."

Hermione lets go of her suitcase and bends down to his level to hug him back, "I'm going to miss you too baby but I'll be home again in a week to visit, okay?"

Scorpius nods and wipes his eyes, Hermione is trying to hold it together for the sake of the kids but she is feeling upset about leaving them too. Cassie walks forward and hugs Hermione, she is upset but she doesn't let it show as much as her younger brother.

"Promise to owl and floo," Cassie says.

"Of course I will sweetheart," Hermione says, hugging her tighter, "And you promise to behave for your Dad. He's very busy with his campaign right now, so you be good just for this next week until it's over."

Cassie and Scorpius both nod and Hermione lets go of Cassie, "I'll see you both very soon, okay? Can I have a minute with your Dad to say goodbye?"

The kids go to the other side of the room and Hermione awkwardly embraces Draco, "What are we doing Hermione?" He asks quietly as they use the hug to talk.

"We're taking some time apart and if things still feel like this after I come home from Australia then we need to sit down and talk about where to go next," Hermione whispers back as she withdraws from the hug.

Draco nods, the pain and tension he is feeling clear on his face, "Okay."

"Good luck with the campaign," Hermione says, kissing him lightly on the lips.

"Good luck with the show," Draco says.

Hermione smiles and then calls the kids over for one last hug. Before she draws it out and makes it any more painful than it has to be, she waves goodbye and leaves the house. The moment she is out of the garden gate she apparates to the international apparition point which is essentially a wizarding airport to make sure people don't get drunk and try to apparate from England to the US, leaving their body parts scattered across the Atlantic Ocean.

She knows that she has to meet the rest of the team and apparate with them, so she easily makes her way through customs and into a room set aside for the team of the show. Harry isn't there when she arrives but Sebastian, Oliver, Chelsea and Chelsea's Manager all are, along with the show's producer and the technical team.

"Harry's running late," Sebastian says with an amused glance at Hermione.

"Isn't he always?" Hermione says simply as she sits down next to Chelsea with a sigh.

"You okay?" Chelsea asks.

"I just left two crying kids and a Husband who couldn't care less that I was leaving," Hermione says dryly, "So not really."

"It's better than not having anyone to say goodbye to," Chelsea says with a shrug.

"Sorry," Hermione says sheepishly, "I never realised you-"

"Didn't have parents?" Chelsea asks, "I have a Mum, my Dad was out of the picture from when I was little and I'm pretty sure he's dead now."

"So why didn't you say goodbye to your Mum?" Hermione asks curiously.

"We haven't talked since…" Chelsea trails off, "It doesn't matter."

"I know we got off on the wrong foot but you can talk to me you know," Hermione says, feeling a little maternal towards the younger woman.

"My Mum remarried when I was 5 and John was really nice, I loved having him as a Stepfather but then I found out she was having an affair the whole time with the man who is my Father and when John found out he left and my Mum fell apart again," Chelsea says with a shrug, "She was so good when she had both of them in her life, it was like the two men together made a whole marriage."

Hermione swallows hard and hopes Chelsea won't notice as she nods. Two men making a whole marriage sounds incredibly familiar to her. She says, "I can understand why you're mad at her but she is still your Mother."

As if on cue, just as she has been thinking about him, Harry walks in. With his usual grin he apologises for being late and says good morning to Hermione and Chelsea.

"Is that everyone?" Sebastian asks, surveying the room and nodding, "All right then, let's get this show on the road!"

* * *

"Nev..."

Neville looks up from the carrots that he is chopping, "Yeah?"

Hannah frowns down at the chicken she is marinating, "What would you do if someone told you a really huge secret? One that you didn't think they should have to keep to themselves?"

Neville frowns slightly as he begins to peel a potato, "Well it depends on the nature of the secret I suppose. If it's that person's secret to keep, then it's fine. But if it involves other people, then it's different."

Hannah bites her lip, "But what if the people involved could get hurt if they found out? What if it could either be the best thing for them, or the worst?"

Neville pauses in his task, "Sometimes the truth hurts Hannah, but that doesn't mean it should be kept from us. How serious is this secret?"

"Serious," Hannah says, her hands frozen over the chicken, "It involves a lie, a really big lie that has been kept that way for years."

"What has Hermione done?" Neville asks, surveying his wife carefully.

Hannah frowns, "Hermione? Why would you think it involves her?"

"Because you met up with her last night and you've been quiet all day," Neville says softly, "What's going on Hannah?"

"I can't tell you Neville," Hannah says, biting her lip hard enough to draw blood, "I really can't, I swore to Hermione that I wouldn't."

"It's okay," Neville says gently, "I'm not asking you to tell me but I am worried about how much this is tearing you up. Is this about Hermione and Harry?"

"Isn't everything with Harry or Hermione about the other?" Hannah asks, looking at Neville with conflict burning on her face.

Neville sighs, "Han sweetheart, as Harry's sponsor I have to ask...could this lie send him over the edge if he found out about it? Could it push him towards drink?"

Hannah nods tearfully, "It might Neville. There's a really big chance that it might and that's why I think she might be right not to tell him. But then everyone deserves to know the truth, even if it hurts, like you said."

"You've got to tell me now darling," Neville says, he has completely abandoned dinner.

"I can't," Hannah practically sobs, "I'm sorry Neville, I promised Hermione that I wouldn't say anything and I'm a Hufflepuff, I'm loyal. I can't tell you."

Neville's face hardens slightly, "No, you're right. _You_ can't," he says, pulling her towards him and hugging her. He holds her close and says, "It's okay, Hannah."

Hannah shuts her eyes tightly and breathes in deeply.

As Neville holds her, a plan begins to come together in his head. He won't let Hannah hurt like this, he won't let her conceal a secret that is tearing her apart. _She_ can't tell him what the secret is, but Hermione can.

* * *

The Australian International Quidditch Ground is a few miles outside of Sydney and that is where all of the games this side of the world will be played. This means that the hotel they are staying in is in the heart of Sydney and it is gorgeous. There are amazing views, a huge comfortable double bed and a massive bathroom in every room. Hermione almost forgets for a moment that she is a married Mother now. The last time she had done an exclusive show like this was when she had been younger, when she and Harry were together.

The jet lag is going to kick in soon. It is technically called long-distance apparition sickness in the wizarding world, but to Hermione it is jet lag and it is almost worse this way. Instead of being on a plane for 12 hours and having to readjust, she has gone from 8.30am in England to 5.30pm in Australia in a matter of minutes.

Before she has time to sleep however, she has to floo home to let everyone know she has arrived safely or they will worry. Well, more to the point, Cassie will worry. She doubts that Draco is even home and expects that the kids will be spending a lot of time with Hannah and Neville while she is in Australia, or with their Grandmother. She prefers the former option.

The hotel is wizarding, so it is connected to the floo network and she has free calls so she throws some powder into the fire and kneels down, saying the name of her home. The connection is instant and she isn't surprised when Cassie's face appears in the fire.

"Did you get to Australia then Mum?"

"I'm here fine sweetheart," Hermione smiles, "Although it is a little odd, it being 5.30pm here."

"Wow," Cassie says with wide eyes, "You must feel weird."

"I do," Hermione laughs, "What's weirder is I'll need to go off and have dinner soon when it feels like I just had breakfast."

"I can't wait for tomorrow Mum," Cassie grins, "For the show to start properly. Dad bought us one of those new devices, a visual radio! He got the biggest size and he put it up on the living room wall so we could all sit and watch your show together when it's on."

Hermione smiles happily, "I hope you'll be tuning in every Monday."

Cassie's head bobs in the fire as she nods, "I can't wait!"

Hermione laughs, "Me either Cass," She says honestly, "But I'm going to have to go and unpack so give my love to your brother and your Dad for me alright?"

"I will," Cassie promises, "Bye Mum, I love you."

"I love you too sweetheart," Hermione says, waving as the connection breaks and the call ends. She sighs, she has to unpack, eat and somehow try to keep her sleep pattern normal.

The first real show after the success of the pilot is going to be filmed tomorrow evening and luckily Hermione has a script for that one written by the producers. She has to go in for a rehearsal in the afternoon and she will probably improvise on a lot of the interview because that is how she works, but it isn't too much work. She just hopes that the studio in Australia has air conditioning charms.

* * *

Neville is fuming. He is standing in front of a hotel room door in Sydney. He has come all the way to Australia and he can't remember the last time he felt so angry. He knocks hard and hears footsteps walk towards the door. There is a click and it swings open, revealing a very stunned Hermione in her pyjamas.

"Neville! What's happened? Are the kids okay?" Hermione asks, immediately assuming the worst.

"The kids are fine, but I need to talk to you Hermione," Neville says.

Hermione can tell that he is deadly serious, she nods, "Come in."

He gives her a brisk nod and steps into the hotel room. She shuts the door behind him and turns around, anxiety flitting across her face, "What's going on Neville?"

"I think I need to be the one asking you that," Neville says coolly, "Why is my wife coming home in tears with a secret you're forcing her to keep? A secret that is tearing her apart?"

Guilt floods Hermione's eyes, "I didn't mean to tell her Neville-"

"I don't care if you meant to tell her!" Neville snaps, "I care that you have told her something and forbidden her from even speaking to her husband about it! Hannah might seem tough Hermione, but she's a Hufflepuff at heart. She wants everyone to be happy, she hates conflict and her worst nightmare is a secret. They eat away at her and I won't let her bear that burden alone!"

"I can't tell you Neville," Hermione says, her wide eyes beginning to brim with tears, "I shouldn't even have told Hannah. If the truth gets out...the consequences would be...I just...I can't risk it."

"No Hermione," Neville says as he advances on her, "What you can't risk is alienating the only people who have helped you and Harry throughout this whole mess! I was the one who physically dragged him to St. Mungo's. Hannah was the one who patched you up after he lost his temper! I was the one who helped him rebuild his life when he came out of hospital to find you married and having Draco's baby! We have spent our whole relationship fixing yours, and neither of you have ever given us a thought! We have selflessly been doing this for years and I won't do it for nothing anymore! I'm not the naïve 12-year-old that you stupefied so you could go on an adventure! I have as much of a right to know about this secret as anyone else, especially if it's going to drive Harry over the edge because if he takes a drink I will be the one locking him away to protect him! I will be the one fixing him because of this secret Hermione, not you!"

"I did my fair share of trying to fix him!" Hermione says, tears pouring down her cheeks as she loses her temper, "I paid for so many bouts of rehab and he threw every single chance I gave him away! I was going to marry him, I stuck by him for years with this stupid vain hope that he would get better so don't you dare try and pretend that I left you to clean up the mess Neville!"

Neville shakes his head irritably, "It's always about you and Harry. It's never about anyone else Hermione and it never has been. Whatever this secret is, I know it has the potential to ruin lives. Do you even care about how it's going to affect your family? About how it's going to affect your children?"

"It's all about Cassie, you idiot!" Hermione exclaims, "All I am trying to do right now is protect Cassie, God Neville, you just don't understand!"

"Then make me understand!" Neville snaps, "Because I don't understand why Cassie would need protection from Harry. She calls him Uncle, he was there for when you didn't have a tutor and when Draco worked all of the time. All he has ever done is take care of her, what does she need protection from?"

Hermione loses her temper and speaks before thinking, as she so often does, "The fact her Father is a useless waste of space who cares more about alcohol than any human being in his life! That's what she needs protection from, that knowledge!"

Neville stares at Hermione in disbelief as she breathes heavily, "Sit down."

Hermione glares at him, "You can't tell me what to do Neville," she says hotly.

Neville takes a step closer to her, "Sit down," he says more firmly.

Hermione catches his eye and sees the look there. It is enough to make her back up and sit down on the edge of her bed.

"You better explain what you just said," Neville says, watching her with an intense gaze, "You better explain it really well and really quickly."

"Harry got out of rehab for a day," Hermione says breathily, "In October."

"9 months before Cassie was born," Neville says, it is a statement, not a question.

Hermione can only nod, her gaze fixed firmly on the ground.

"Who else knows about this, apart from Hannah?"

"Just Draco," Hermione whispers.

"Draco knows?" Neville asks in disbelief.

"He knew there was a chance from the start," Hermione replies.

"And he still married you?" Neville asks.

Hermione nods, "When Cassie was born, we did the test."

"And he raised her as his own," Neville says, "All of these years he's known, yet he still raised her as his own daughter."

"He's a noble man," Hermione says, chancing a glance at Neville, "Not many people could raise another man's child."

"Not many women would let another man raise someone else's child," Neville combats.

"Do you really think that telling Harry was the right choice?" Hermione asks, her temper returning, "You saw what his temper did! You saw what it did to me, what it did to you! Can you imagine what it would do to a baby? A fragile, beautiful little soul like Cassie in the arms of someone as volatile and destructive as Harry? You have children Neville, you held them as babies, saw how precious and fragile they were. Surely you understand."

"Of course I understand," Neville says in a softer tone of voice, "But that was 12 years ago Hermione. Why didn't you tell Harry when he had been out of St. Mungo's and sober for a year? Why not at Cassie's 1st birthday party when he bought her that broom? Why not when he took her to her first Quidditch match when she was 3? Why not when you let her spend the weekend at his house when she was 5? You've had a million chances to tell Harry the truth, and you never have!"

"I liked the way Harry was becoming again," Hermione says quietly, silent tears sliding down her face, "I didn't want to ruin that. I didn't want the shock of the truth to make him angry because when he got angry he turned to alcohol. Draco is a good Father to Cassie, he has been a good father to her all of her life and I just wanted happiness and stability for her! I never believed Harry could give her that, I still don't!"

Neville watches Hermione for a moment, "You can't keep this from either of them forever. One day Cassie will notice things, she'll start asking questions and if you lie to her then, you'll lose her forever."

"That day isn't now," Hermione says quietly, "It's not the right time, not for either of them and not for me."

"And what if there's never a right time?" Neville combatted, "You can't keep making excuses forever."

"I will tell Cassie the truth," Hermione promises, "I decided that after I spoke to Hannah, but I can't right now. She isn't old enough to understand yet, it will only hurt her."

"I give you until her 13th birthday," Neville says as he walks towards the door, "If you haven't told her by then, I'll tell her myself. Do you understand?"

Hermione nods tearfully, "Neville!" she exclaims as he grabs the door handle.

"What?" Neville asks, meeting her eye for longer than two seconds.

"Promise me that you won't tell Harry," Hermione practically begs him.

"I don't agree with your choice, but it is yours to make," Neville says quietly, "I won't tell Harry."

"Thank you," Hermione breathes.

Neville only nods as he leaves the room, shutting the door rather hard on his way out.

* * *

The sound of the slamming door in the hotel room next to Chelsea draws her out of her stupor. Her eyes are wide and her mind is buzzing with the argument she has just heard between Hermione and Neville. It makes sense of almost everything, and it is most certainly not her secret to share, although she happened to agree with Neville on this one.

Chelsea had been a Slytherin but that doesn't make her cruel. She will keep Hermione's secret, until the time comes when she perhaps needs to blackmail Hermione with it to get her way.

But she will not spill the beans to the press and she will certainly not say a word to Harry. This is no affair, or simple juicy gossip story. This has the potential to change lives, but it also has the potential to ruin them.

* * *

Draco thinks he is alone when he hits his head off of his desk in frustration. It is late on Monday night, Hermione has been gone since that morning and his Mother is at home with the kids. He'd had a floo call from her earlier saying Cassie had spoken to Hermione via floo and she had gotten to Australia safely.

Since then he has been working on trying to get the campaign figures up, the vote on the Wizengamot would take place in three weeks and no campaigning is allowed in the week leading up to it. At the moment Percy is still ahead, it is marginal but it is still going to be a loss at this rate.

"That bad a day, huh?"

Draco sighs, he doesn't need to look up to know who it is, "My wife left for Australia for Merlin knows how long. She knows I kissed you, I'm certain she's having an affair with Potter regardless of what she says, and we're behind in the polls again."

"Well of course we are at the moment, you're lacking momentum," Pansy says, placing a hand on his shoulder, "You ought to bring the kids into the fore. The united family front is what will win you the vote."

"I can't," Draco says through gritted teeth, "Hermione doesn't want them in the spotlight so young."

"Since when do you care what she thinks?" Pansy asks with a raised eyebrow.

"Since I married her," Draco replies, "We have children Pansy, I don't expect you to understand that. I can't just go against her wishes, it isn't fair to her or them."

"Well do you want to win or not?" Pansy asks, leaning against his desk, "You can be this devoted, slightly pathetic family man if you want. By all means carry on with your mediocre career and watch your life crumble apart. Or grow some balls, be the Slytherin that I knew and become Minister, _whatever_ it takes."

"Are you trying to screw my life up?" Draco asks quietly.

"No," Pansy replies, "I'm trying to help you Draco. She's going to leave you, no matter what you do. Your children are going to suffer enough, don't make it worse by screwing up your career for a woman who is clearly in love with another man."

Draco sighs and then after a long moment he nods, "Okay," He says.

"Okay?" Pansy asks.

"Okay," Draco says again, "How can we make Weasley look bad?"

Pansy smiles and leans across the desk to kiss him, "Let's work on that," She says.

 **TBC :)  
**


	9. Showtime

**Fade Into You**

 **Chapter 9 - Showtime  
**

"Holy shit, you lot are lucky to have a glamour team," Sebastian says when he surveys his room of presenters.

Hermione rolls her eyes, "Thanks for that insight Seb. I do know that I look like shit."

Harry smiles, "You've looked worse."

Hermione scoffs, "I've had two children, whats your excuse?"

"Years of excessive alcohol ages you," Harry says sincerely, and a little bitterly.

Chelsea yawns, "I just have massive sleep pattern issues."

"Well you'll all need glamour charms, you aren't going on the Visual Radio looking like that," Sebastian says with amusement, "The team are in the next room. Get sorted before we do the run-through."

Hermione mock-salutes her manager and he winks at her as she leads the way into the side room where the glamour team are waiting for them. They have individual seats with their names on them and Hermione can't help but smile a little. This really is like the old days. Her life hasn't been like this for a good while.

"So I heard you on the floo to Cass last night," Harry says from his seat next to hers as the team set about covering up the bags under their eyes and fixing their hair, "The water dispenser is outside your bedroom."

Hermione isn't sure how comfortable she is about Harry's tendency to eavesdrop, especially considering the conversation she and Neville had had later that same night. She swallows a lump in her throat and nods, Harry can't have heard that argument. If he had he wouldn't be acting so normal around her, "Yeah, I was just letting her know I got here safe. She worries quite a lot."

"A bit like her Mother then," Harry jokes.

Hermione smiles weakly, "Yes," she agrees.

"You're nervous aren't you?" Harry asks, as Hermione's hair has its final touches added.

"Terrified," Hermione admits as she catches his eye, "I've never been on camera before. It's always just been my voice and... I'm not young anymore."

Harry smiles and leans across, grabbing her hand, "You were cute at 14, gorgeous at 24 and you're still beautiful at 34 Hermione. Don't worry about that."

Hermione smiles at him, "Thanks Harry."

They are both aware of Chelsea watching them but she doesn't say anything. Harry drops Hermione's hand as the glamour team announce they are done and the moment is over as quickly as it had begun.

The next thing they know they are rushing through the run-through, minus the guests, and checking the connection to England for Oliver's segment. When it is over they grab some food from the local take-away and by the time they have finished eating it is nearing 7pm. The show is starting at 9pm for the pre-cup coverage which they expect to have an audience generally of witches and wizards who were 14+. When the cup begins it will move down to 7pm for a more family friendly show. They still have restrictions of course, but the post 9pm showing means they can use minor swear words and make the odd suggestive comment. Hermione wouldn't normally allow the kids to listen to the radio after 9pm, she hadn't ever let them listen to her chat show but it had been on at 10pm and it really had a lot of swearing in it. She was allowing an exception this time because of the nature of the show and because of the fact she was so far away from the kids for it.

Two hours seems like a long time, but by the time they have all had their glamour charms touched up, their hair fixed once more, the studio set up and have done a final read-through of the script it is time to get into position to start the show.

The Australian studio is a lot bigger than the one in England they had used for the pilot and it is a lot fancier since it will actually be seen on this new visual platform. It has a small circular stage sort of area to the left which is to be used for the challenges and then there is the seating area. There is a large glass coffee table and then a big, comfortable pale blue sofa where the guests will sit. There are two armchairs, one a pale yellow and one a mint green which are seats for Hermione and Chelsea. Then Harry, who is in the studio with them for a lot of the pre-cup coverage (he will be out interviewing players during the actual games) has his own little area. He has an armchair on the other side of the sofa, Hermione is honestly glad that he is a little bit removed from her.

The charms are in place to record the audio and visual signals and send them across the world. This show is airing in all English speaking countries live, so it is going straight to the UK, the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South America and a whole load of other places. It is the biggest project Hermione has ever taken part in so as she watches the light go from red, to amber, to green she is incredibly nervous.

"Hello and welcome to QWC Weekly!" Hermione says brightly, "We are very happy to broadcast today from Sydney, Australia. And for many listeners you may now be viewers thanks to the wonderful new invention of Visual Radio."

"But for those of you who are still just listeners," Chelsea says with a smile, "Don't worry, you won't miss out on anything apart from the stupid expressions we all pull!"

Hermione laughs, "We have one hell of a show lined up for you tonight. Our first guest is Roger Davies, the coach of Puddlemere United and the former England coach!"

"Our second guest is Daphne Greengrass, model, actress, singer and radio presenter," Chelsea says brightly, "She is of course known for her photoshoots for _Quidditch Magazine_ , and she is a massive Quidditch fan so she'll be here to share her predictions for the cup."

"And later in the show I'll be joined by Ricky White, former captain of the Australian Quidditch team, to hear his predictions for this cup and his theories behind the huge jump Australia made between this cup and the last," Harry says with a smile.

"We will also be joined by Oliver Wood," Hermione adds, "And he has an exclusive interview with Angelina Weasley, former chaser for England, so that is all to come later in the show."

"Along with the first real challenge of the show," Harry adds with a grin, "So you better up your game ladies, it's all worth points now."

Hermione and Chelsea both laugh, and Hermione says, "But for now, our first guest joins us on the sofa, Roger Davies!"

Roger walks in via a doorway in the back of the studio and waves at them all as he sits down. He is older now, a few years older than Harry and Hermione but he hasn't aged badly. He smiles broadly as he shakes Hermione's hand.

"Thanks for coming all this way Roger," Hermione says.

"Thanks for having me," Roger counters, "I'm delighted to be here."

"And we're delighted to have you," Hermione says, "I think my little boy and my not so little girl at home are going to be very jealous. Our family are huge Puddlemere fans."

Roger grins, "Ah now a little birdy told me that. I saw you at our friendly with the Appleby Arrows on Saturday with your children so I did a bit of research and found out their names."

Hermione is frowning as Roger pulls something out of his pocket and enlarges it.

"So these are for your kids," Roger says, "A signed photograph each, from the team."

Hermione is so touched by that, she smiles broadly, "Well thank you so much. You have no idea how popular that will make me at home."

Roger just laughs and says, "Hey, anything for an old high school friend."

Hermione smiles back, "Well thank you again Roger. But I suppose we should talk about Quidditch now. You are of course the coach for Puddlemere, but you also have a book coming out, is that right?"

"Yes," Roger says, leaning forward on the sofa, "I wouldn't call it a biography, or an autobiography. It's more of a history of the English Quidditch team."

"It drops in stores next week worldwide," Hermione says, "And like you say it's basically an encyclopedia of British Quidditch."

"It is building on _'Quidditch Through the Ages'_ , but it's a more specialised version," Roger says, "I just thought I would have loved to read something like that as a kid, so I wrote it for my kids."

"You have two children, don't you?" Hermione asks.

"Yes, two boys," Roger says happily, "A 3rd year, and a 1st year."

Hermione smiles, "And have they read the book?"

"They got to read the pre-publication copy," Roger says, "And they loved it, so here's hoping everyone else does too."

Hermione laughs, "I'm sure it will be fantastic," She says, "Do you and your sons have any big predictions for this year's QWC?"

"Well my youngest son, Toby, he seems to think that Ireland are going to win, but I think it's going to be Australia," Roger admits, "I'd love to say England but I don't think we'll quite manage it this year."

"What makes you say that?" Hermione asks curiously.

"Australia have just been training relentlessly. One of my friends out here actually told me that she saw a practice and said it looked more like Auror training than Quidditch practice," Roger says, "England just don't train like that. So I really don't think that they will be able to compete with that level of commitment."

"Well some of the countries that compete are far harsher of course when it comes to training conditions," Hermione says, "Japan I believe has Quidditch training camps."

Roger nods, "Oh yeah, it's crazy how committed some of the other countries are. I think that's our problem when it comes to the QWC, we're just too lazy," He laughs.

Hermione chuckles, she can't help but agree, "Well it has been a pleasure speaking to you Roger, and I hope you enjoy watching from your sofa with your boys."

"Oh we definitely will," Roger says.

Hermione smiles and says, "Roger Davies everyone!"

Chelsea smiles too, "Such a down to earth guy you are considering you managed England for a good 5 years Roger."

Roger just laughs and Chelsea says, "And joining Roger on our sofa is our next guest. Daphne Greengrass is esteemed in the entertainment world because she can do everything and apparently she's also pretty nifty when it comes to Quidditch!"

Daphne walks out into the studio and waves at everyone. She is wearing skyscraper heels and a fairly short, tight black dress, her long blonde hair is left down and flowing. Hermione can't help but curse inwardly at the fact that they are the same age.

"Evening Chelsea, thanks for having me!" Daphne says as she sits down gracefully on the sofa.

"It's a pleasure having you here," Chelsea says, they are obviously friends, "Thanks for coming all the way over!"

"Oh it's alright, I'm here for a photoshoot to promote the QWC anyway, we're all on the same team here," Daphne says happily.

"Yes, we are," Chelsea says brightly, "You of course are the cover girl for this year's QWC."

"Which is a huge honour," Daphne grins, "I've been a fan of Quidditch since I was tiny, so being here and promoting like this is just a dream come true."

"You must be a good player yourself," Harry says from his armchair, "You have the build of a seeker."

"I can seek," Daphne admits, "But I actually like to be a chaser more than anything else. I don't know how good I would say I am honestly, but I think Quidditch is a great sport and it's also really good exercise which is why I would encourage so many people to do it at Hogwarts."

"It's great for team building," Hermione says with a smile, "And getting to know people out of your social circle."

"Definitely," Daphne agrees.

"You must have played Roger at some point during your Hogwarts days," Chelsea says, "With their only being a few years in age between you both."

Harry laughs, "Merlin Chelsea, you're just making us feel old now."

Chelsea frowns very slightly, "Why?"

"Well when we were at Hogwarts, girls weren't allowed on the Slytherin Quidditch team," Hermione explains.

Daphne smirks, "But I made sure that wouldn't be an issue after I was refused entry to the team 6 times."

Harry laughs again, "Now you really have to elaborate on that."

Daphne laughs, a melodic sound, and says, "Well I returned to Hogwarts after the war, as some other students did, to finish my N.E.W.T's. They called us an '8th Year', and we were to an extent outside of the rules so there was scope to do what we wanted."

Hermione chuckles, "I had heard that from friends of mine who returned to Hogwarts."

"You of course were far too busy being famous," Daphne says as she looks from Hermione to Harry with a smile, "We loved your show at Hogwarts, it was always on the radio."

Hermione smiles happily, "Oh, I'm so glad. We had great fun making it, didn't we Harry?"

Harry returns her smile, "It was great," He says honestly, "But back to your story, Daphne?"

Daphne nods and continues, "I thought it was about time for a fresh start so when Theodore Nott, who is now of course an esteemed and fantastic lawyer, was appointed as Quidditch captain I wasn't particularly happy. I went to the Head of House about it, and I was told rules are rules, girls don't play for the Slytherin team. So, can I swear? Am I allowed to swear on this show?"

Chelsea laughs, "Minor swear words are fine," She says.

Daphne chuckles, "Well, in that case I told him frankly that I thought that was bullshit. He was so shocked he didn't even bother giving me detention and I told him I would be at try-outs and I would prove that girls were just as good as guys. So I got a bunch of friends who were all good players and we sort of stormed the Quidditch pitch at try-outs. The rest of the story is fairly long, and complicated, but long story short, I was captain a week later, and Theodore Nott got a broken nose. Which I must say, in hindsight, I'm very sorry about that," She turns to the wall where the recording charm is and says, "So if you're watching Theo, sorry!"

Hermione can't help but laugh and Harry notices. He chuckles, "I'm sure you'll be forgiven by now."

"Oh I don't know, Slytherins tend to hold grudges," Hermione says with an amused smile.

"Now this is a story I have to hear!" Daphne says excitedly.

"I punched Draco in our 3rd year," Hermione admits sheepishly, "Quite hard, I think."

"Very hard," Harry smirks, "That's not something I will ever forget."

Hermione cringes a little, "Yes, and he still reminds me of it, frequently! But he must have forgiven me, because he married me."

Daphne laughs and waves her hand, "I remember when he came back to the common room after that incident. Oh he was so angry, but at the same time I think I overheard him say that he respected a woman who could stand her ground."

Hermione smiles weakly, she doesn't expect he thinks that now. She doesn't think Draco thinks much about her now if she is honest, "Yes well, I think it was great that you made a stand. There was an issue in our time at Hogwarts, women weren't quite equal with men."

"I think that's fantastic Daphne, what you did for the Slytherin Quidditch team," Harry agrees with a smile.

Daphne smiles back, "Well thank you very much."

Chelsea cuts in, "And now that is time for an advert break! Join us in a couple of minutes when Harry will be talking to former Australian captain Ricky White!"

They break for the ad break and Chelsea rolls her eyes at Harry and Hermione.

"What?" Hermione asks a little irritably.

"This isn't the Harry and Hermione show!" Chelsea exclaims angrily, "It isn't for you to make googly eyes at each other and reminisce about the old days! It's a Quidditch show!"

"Chelsea, calm down," Harry says quietly.

Chelsea opens her mouth to object but Harry doesn't let her get a word in, "Did you go to school with Roger?"

"Well…no."

"Did you go to school with Daphne?" Harry asks pointedly.

"No," Chelsea replies, almost huffily.

"Then you don't understand. Hermione and I did, it brings back memories," Harry says, "We aren't trying to take over the show and we certainly aren't making googly eyes at each other. Unless you had forgotten Hermione is married."

"I'm sorry okay?" Chelsea sighs, "But you two have this whole history and sometimes I feel like I'm just left on the side-lines."

"Sorry for making you feel that way Chelsea," Hermione says honestly, "We aren't trying to push you out."

Chelsea nods curtly and then looks to their two guests, "I apologise, for my…outburst."

Roger just smiles and waves his hand, "You're young, your temper hasn't cooled down yet."

"I'm not young and I still have a temper," Harry jokes, trying to make light of the situation.

Daphne chuckles, "You were a Gryffindor, they are renowned for their tempers."

Hermione smiles, "You have a point," She glances at Harry, "We both have a bad temper, and so does Ron."

"And Merlin, Ginny," Harry shakes his head, "Her temper is…terrifying actually."

"Who would have thought the chosen one was scared of his ex?" Daphne teases.

Hermione frowns slightly at the flirty nature of their conversation and she notices that Chelsea seems to look a little hurt too. That surprises her, she had thought Chelsea was using Harry, she hadn't ever expected feelings to be involved. The light flashes amber in the studio and she sits alert once more, "We're about to go back on," She tells the others.

The small-talk ends and the light flashes to green. Hermione smiles, "Hello and welcome back to QWC Weekly where we are joined by Roger Davies and Daphne Greengrass. Joining us now is Ricky White, the captain who engineered Australia's miraculous improvement over the last 4 years. He has just retired due to illness but his son has taken over his role as captain for the lead up to this year's QWC. Welcome, Ricky!"

Ricky walks onto the stage and waves at the recording charm wall. He is in his early-40's, with greying auburn hair and a typical Australian tan. He sits down at the other end of the sofa, on Daphne's other side and Harry welcomes him to the show.

"Thanks so much for being here Ricky," Harry says as he shakes his hand, "I know things are a bit tough at the moment with your health."

"Oh, I'll be fine," Ricky says in a strong Australian accent, "I couldn't pass up the opportunity to appear on this show in my home territory."

"Can you tell us anymore about why you had to retire?" Harry asks curiously.

"Well it's a recurring problem actually," Ricky says, leaning back against the sofa, "I got hit in the back with a bludger way back when I was about 21. I was just starting out in Quidditch, we don't have it in our schools the way you do in Britain you see."

The others nod and listen intently. Ricky continues, "So I got hit, it barely hurt and I didn't get it checked out. I was fine for years, then I hit 40 last year and I was playing an international friendly against Hungary and I got elbowed by a beater while I was trying to score. It hurt like hell and within a couple of days I was in agony so they took me to Saint Mary's hospital in Sydney. I found out I'd slipped a disc in my back, they rushed me in for an emergency internal operation and they had to replace the disc. So that was when I made the decision to retire from Quidditch, I was going to be out for 6 months anyway and then the healers said that if I played professionally it increased the chance of it happening again. I thought, I've had a good run, I'll give someone else a chance at it. And by complete chance they go and make my boy Daniel captain, so it worked out best for us all in the end."

"Do you think this change in captaincy so close to the start of the cup will make a difference for Australia?" Harry asks, "I mean the team have gone from having a 41-year-old captain to having a 19-year-old one with only a few weeks to go."

Ricky smiles, "Well Harry, I would have thought you would understand this better than most. Age doesn't define us, if you train at something from an early age you can be just as experienced as someone older who came into the sport later. Danny's being training since he was 5, he's got a great deal of experience and he's a well-respected captain. If he wasn't, the team wouldn't have elected him."

Hermione nods, "Because of course in Australia the team elect their captain in the form of a vote. Rather than a governing official making the decision as they do here."

Ricky nods, "Precisely. And as I said Harry, you defeated the darkest wizard of our times when you were 17. So why can't a 19-year-old captain an international Quidditch team?"

"No, I don't have any objections with it," Harry says, raising his hands in the form of defeat, "I just wondered if it was going to present any problems. Changes in captaincy can be quite drastic so close to big events like this."

"I think you just said it yourself, _can_ be," Ricky says, "I've got full confidence in Danny. His style of captaincy is pretty similar to mine and I don't doubt that he'll lead Australia to a win this year."

Chelsea laughs, "Well I think we might be inclined to disagree given that we're all British," She joked.

Ricky laughs too, "No, you're entitled to it. It's only natural that folks support their own team after all, and their own country."

"You might be struggling with loyalties this year Ricky," Hermione says with an amused smile, "Given your recent nuptials."

Ricky shakes his head in amusement, "I thought that might have come up, yeah I just married for a second time. Daniels Mother, my first wife, died in an apparition accident about 6 years ago now. I'm really happy with Maria, but she's Spanish, and of course Spain qualified third for this year's cup."

"Which means Australia will most likely play Spain if they win the first game against Japan," Chelsea says with an amused smile.

"Yes," Ricky says sheepishly, "There will be arguments in our house that day, I tell you!"

Hermione laughs and says, "Well good luck to you both on your marriage and thanks for coming on Ricky. We now head to England where I'm sure the sun is shining for Oliver who is about to interview former England chaser, Angelina Weasley."

With a rather nifty little charm that Hermione herself has helped engineer, an image of Oliver is projected onto the wall behind them and they all turn to look at him. He is standing in a Quidditch ground with an umbrella over his head, and underneath it with him is Angelina. He waves at them, "Hello to you all in Australia. I am feeling incredibly unlucky for pulling the short straw and being the one stuck here where the sun is not shining and the rain is most definitely falling."

Harry laughs, "This is an interview, not a weather report Oliver!"

Oliver chortles and says, "Come to think of it, I would make a dashing weather man. But even more dashing than me is Angelina Weasley former England and Holyhead Harpies chaser and former Holyhead Harpies captain. She's retired now but she's still fully involved in the Quidditch world having launched her own magazine, aimed at female fans."

Angelina smiles and says, "Hey Oliver," She then waves, "Hi to everyone in the studio over in Australia. It's a pleasure to be here in this horrible weather with you all."

Harry laughs, "Sorry Angelina, we would have gladly had you over here but you had too many commitments."

Angelina laughs, "I'd call three children under 10 a nightmare, not a commitment," She jokes.

Hermione laughs too, "I second that, and I only have two!"

"Oh they run havoc on you though, don't they?" Angelina chuckles.

Hermione laughs her agreement and Oliver chuckles, "So Angelina. The big question on all of our minds is this; how are the British teams gonna do? What's your best bet?"

"Well as much as I hate to say it, I think Scotland will fare the worst," Angelina admits, "They've made a big break but they've been out of the big leagues for a long time. I think in the next cup they could really be contenders."

"So it's between England and Ireland for you then?" Oliver asks.

"Definitely, both teams have potential and good players. England placed 2nd and Ireland placed 4th so I really think either of them could get the upper hand," Angelina says.

"The title is certainly in the grasp of both teams this year," Oliver agrees, "But we aren't here just to talk to you about the QWC. We're pretty interested in this new magazine of yours."

Angelina laughs, "Yes, well it's a magazine aimed at female Quidditch fans. I'd say it probably appeals to the Hogwarts student most of all. It features the information we all crave, the gossip about what the teams are doing, the scores, etc. But there are interactive aspects and…well, a less male spin on things."

"I think that's great," Oliver says honestly, "Quidditch appeals to a lot of young girls who then grow into women who become great players!"

Angelina laughs loudly as he looks pointedly at her, "Well thank you for the compliment Oliver, but I owe a lot of credit to you. You were the best captain I ever served under in our Hogwarts days."

Oliver smiles, "Well I am honoured Angelina," He says, "Thank you so much for joining us today and enjoy the cup when it comes!"

"Oh, I will!" Angelina assures him, then the connection is cut and he disappears from the wall. They go to an ad-break and make small talk, then the final segment of the show begins to air. Hermione and Chelsea do the round-up of events, with the occasional comment chipped in from the guests. And then it comes to the final part of the show, the challenges.

For this part there are two chalkboards in the performance area of the room. One says "Hermione" and "Chelsea" in its two columns and the other says "Harry" and "Oliver". They go over the fact that there is no prize but something horrible and embarrassing will happen to the loser in the final episode of the show. Then they throw themselves into the actual challenges. Hermione wins a fast-paced Quidditch related quiz and puts a tally next to her name. Harry and Oliver's physical challenge of who can catch the most snitches in a minute is of course a victory to Harry. They wrap the show up, then it is over and they are off air.

The following week for Hermione and Chelsea will be spent writing. Harry will be off researching across Australia and Oliver would be doing the same across Britain. Hermione has some small relief knowing that she will likely only really have to see Harry once a week for their Monday night shows. But all the same they _are_ staying in the same hotel.

"Do you want to walk back to the hotel together?" Harry asks Hermione as they wrap up the show and grab their jackets and bags.

Hermione nearly says no out of habit but then she remembers Draco's lack of interest in her, and his newfound interest in Pansy. She looks up and makes the mistake of catching those mesmerising emerald eyes of his. After that she definitely can't say no.

"Sure," Hermione answers, taking his outstretched arm with a smile and walking out of the studio door with him.

* * *

"I've missed this."

Hermione shoots him an amused look, "Walking across a bridge in Australia?"

Harry laughs and shakes his head. They have come to a stop on the foot bridge and are looking out at the city as its buildings shine in the bright sunlight, "No, seeing the world. Do you remember when we used to tour with the show? We saw so many beautiful places together, then it all stopped."

"It stopped because I had to put my family first," Hermione says, a small frown forming on her face as she looks at the city rather than at Harry, "It wasn't a good lifestyle, for either of us."

A dark shadow passes across Harry's face, "I hope you know how sorry I am, for everything I did back then."

"I do," Hermione says honestly, "I know that it wasn't you. I know that it's all in the past now. I've forgiven you Harry but I can never forget."

Harry nods and turns away from her. Hermione suspects that he is hiding his emotions from her by doing so, "I never deserved you back then. You did the right thing… marrying Malfoy."

Hermione swallows a lump in her throat, "Do you really think so? Because I doubt it myself sometimes. I wonder whether I did it for the right reasons or entirely for the wrong ones."

Harry takes his right hand off of the railing and takes Hermione's hand, "You married him because you were pregnant, didn't you? I'm your friend so I didn't say anything but I can do math Hermione. Cassie was born in August and you married Malfoy in January. You must have been about 2 or 3 months pregnant."

Hermione can only nod at first as she tries to find the words to share this part of her life with Harry. There has always been this silent agreement that they don't talk about Hermione's relationship with Draco because it is too complicated.

"When I found out that I was pregnant, Draco said he wanted to do the right thing by me. His Mother even agreed, she said even though I was anything but pure he couldn't let me have his bastard child," Hermione says quietly, "But that wasn't why he proposed. He didn't want his child to be raised in an unhappy home, like he was. He wanted us to be together, to raise Cassie together, not separately."

"So you married him," Harry says, and it is hard to read his emotions.

Hermione nods, "I married him because he had a stable job and because I did love him. I knew he would provide a safe, happy future for Cassie and I. Sometimes I think that I should have thought with my heart, not my head, when I agreed to marry him."

"Is that why its falling apart now?" Harry asks, "Because of your doubts back then?"

Hermione shakes her head, "No. The doubts went away for a long time. Scorpius wasn't an accident Harry, he was planned. He is the proof that we really did love each other once but there comes a point when...love just isn't enough anymore."

"Isn't love the only thing that matters?" Harry asks, squeezing Hermione's hand gently.

Hermione pushes herself away from the railing and shakes her head, "No. It doesn't matter if you love someone when you can see them becoming the person who bullied and belittled you. Running for Minister is putting Draco back in with the pureblood crowd, it's giving him back the prejudices I thought he had forgotten. It's turning him back into the boy that stood and watched me get tortured, not the man I raised my children with."

Hermione hasn't let go of Harry's hand so he keeps it firmly there as they begin to walk across the bridge once more.

"I'm sorry that it's all falling apart," Harry says honestly, "I know things have always been complicated with us but I've never wanted you to be unhappy."

Hermione squeezes his hand and offeres him a sad smile, "I know."

 **TBC :)  
**


	10. The Calm Before the Storm

**Fade Into You**

 **Chapter 10 - The Calm Before the Storm  
**

Draco has been staying late at the office almost every night since Hermione had left. His campaign is drawing to a close, which in truth is part of the reason for these late nights. However, his Mother is happy to watch the kids and when she can't because she is helping with the campaign, they are at Neville and Hannah's house.

However, there is another more sinister reason to his late nights at the office. Recent events have him convinced that Hermione is having an affair, so he has thrown caution to the wind and acted on his feelings for Pansy.

On this particular night, they are lying on the sofa in his office laughing as they reminisce about the 'good old days'.

"Merlin Draco, even back then you had so much potential. You should have been Minister years ago," Pansy says, pulling the thin blanket closer to cover herself as she shivers.

"Well I didn't have the time back then," Draco says simply.

"Because you got Hermione Granger pregnant," Pansy says, rolling her eyes, "I mean, how much did that one screw up cost you?"

Draco frowns, "Nothing."

Pansy frowns at him, "I'd beg to differ."

"She's not a screw up," Draco says softly, "Cassie is…everything. She's the most precious thing in my life and she changed everything for me. Becoming a Father was the best accident to ever happen to me and I wouldn't trade either of my children for anything. If I could go back and do it all again, I would pick them over Minister for Magic a hundred times over."

Pansy smiles softly, "Wow."

"What?" Draco asks, feeling quite self-conscious.

Pansy shakes her head, "Nothing, it's just…well you're a great Father. I misjudged it, I thought you'd gotten Hermione pregnant and then regretted it. But it's clearly the opposite."

Draco nods thoughtfully and turns to look at the woman next to him. Her glamour charms are removed, her dark hair is all over the place and her eyes are soft as they fixate on him. All of a sudden the guilt begins to overwhelm him, "Hermione getting pregnant might not have been planned, but the fact I have Cassie and Scorpius because of what happened makes everything worth it."

"You're a good man Draco Malfoy," Pansy says with a smile.

"A good man who is cheating on his wife?" Draco asks, the guilt slipping into his voice as he quickly gets up and dresses.

"Well your wife isn't exactly the faithful sort," Pansy retorts as she also dresses herself.

Draco sighs, "It's sad to think that we loved each other once, isn't it? We loved each other enough to raise children together, to give life to them and now we're in this mess."

Pansy watches him for a moment, "Do you still love her?"

Draco frowns and ignores the question, "I've got to get home. I'll see you tomorrow Pansy," he says, rushing from the building before she can say anything more.

* * *

Hermione spends the next week in Australia writing with Chelsea for the upcoming pre-cup coverage shows. They are getting on quite well, there is the odd disagreement but they are smoothed over and resolved easily enough. She has been doing some sight-seeing when she can, but she is so delighted when she is able to apparate back to the UK on Friday. She will have to go back to Australia on Sunday, but she is looking forward to spending some time with the kids.

They spend Friday night playing a board game and Scorpius falls asleep on the sofa fairly early after getting so excited about Hermione coming home.

"Has Dad been around much?" Hermione asks Cassie as she absentmindedly pleats her hair. Hermione has popped _'Grease'_ into her portable DVD player and they are listening to it while they talk.

"Not really, it's mostly been Grandma," Cassie replies, "Well it's just us and Mr. Gilbert during the day actually."

"But Grandma is around in the mornings?"

Cassie nods, "And sometimes at night but we've mostly been having dinner with Uncle Neville and Aunt Hannah."

"Well at least that's okay for Scorp," Hermione sighs, "He and Frank are the same age."

"I find it boring," Cassie says, "But I just read and they mostly leave me alone."

"I'm sorry to do this Cass," Hermione admits, "It's just a difficult time right now with your Dads campaign and my work."

"Are you and Dad going to split up?" Cassie asks, turning to look at her Mum.

Hermione swallows hard, "I don't know sweetheart. Things are hard right now but your Dad and I need to sit down and have a good talk about all of this."

Cassie frowns, "Is it my fault Mum? Is it because I'm going to Hogwarts?"

"No, of course not!" Hermione answers immediately, "Your Dad and I, well we met and got married quite young that's all. We're changing now, things are changing. It has nothing to do with you or Scorp, I promise."

Cassie nods and snuggles closer to Hermione's side, "I'm glad you're home this weekend Mum."

"So am I sweetheart," Hermione says honestly, closing her eyes and allowing herself to relax.

* * *

"So we're sleeping in the same bed now?"

Hermione looks up from where she is sitting reading a book in bed. Draco is standing in the doorway in his dress robes, his hair is loose and messy from the rain and wind.

"Well, you are my Husband," Hermione points out.

Draco actually smiles slightly as he undresses and slips into bed in his boxers.

"How's the campaign going?" Hermione asks, putting her book down on the bedside table.

Draco sighs, "We're getting there. But we're still behind in the figures."

Hermione frowns, "So it's close then?"

"Very close," Draco admits, "But I won't bore you with politics it's far too late as it is."

Hermione nods, watching him closely.

Draco frowns, "What is it?"

Hermione doesn't answer, not verbally at least, she just kisses him. Draco is surprised, admittedly, they haven't exactly been on the best terms as of late. But he kisses her back and he doesn't mind as she deepens the kiss, rolling over to straddle him. He chuckles and when he opens his eyes he finds himself expecting to see Pansy and it hits him like an unforgiveable to the chest when he sees Hermione.

The guilt overwhelms him as it had done earlier that evening, and he gently pushes her towards her own side of the bed, sighing deeply as he does so.

"That answers that question," Hermione sighs.

"What question?" Draco asks, unable to look at her.

"Whether you have any love left for me," Hermione says softly.

Draco expects that she is crying and his guilt over what he has done to her begins to consume him. He does still love her, a part of him probably always will, "I do love you Hermione," he whispers, turning his head to look at her, "But there comes a point when love isn't enough anymore…especially when there is someone else involved."

"I've told you, Harry and I-"

Draco shakes his head, "I don't mean you, I mean me. I'm having an affair...with Pansy."

Hermione is silent, until she asks in a quiet voice, "How long has this been going on for? Since you told me you kissed her?"

"Yes, since last week," Draco replies, getting out of bed and pulling on a robe, "I'm sorry Hermione but-"

"You can't make up any excuse to make this okay!" Hermione snaps, glad of the silencing charms on the room, "All of these years I have fought to make you believe that I've been loyal. I've never strayed and now you...you do _this_!"

"Maybe you never did stray," Draco agrees, tears burning his eyes, "But how you feel now is probably pretty close to how I've felt for all of these years! The burning, the pain and the betrayal? I felt it every Christmas Potter spent with us. I felt it every time he came to Cassie's birthday and gave her a present, every time he took her for a day out, every weekend you let her spend with him! Seeing him with her, with _my_ daughter made me feel sick and I've put up with that for 12 years out of love for you! Forgive me if I can't do it anymore!"

Hermione draws in a shaky breath, "I'm sorry."

"So am I," Draco says, bitterness lacing his voice, "I'll sleep in the spare room."

Hermione can only nod in response as Draco leaves the bedroom. Leaving Hermione feeling more alone than she has in her entire life.

* * *

The following morning when Hermione gets up, Draco has already gone to work, even though it is a Sunday. She puts on a brave face and makes the kids breakfast, then she takes them out for the day to see a Muggle film at the cinema. When they get home they go to their respective rooms and Hermione thinks about giving Hannah a floo call for a chat, or just ringing her mobile. But before she gets a chance she hears the letterbox. She frowns, it is a Sunday and everybody knows that there is no post on Sundays. When Hermione walks into the hall and sees a brown envelope addressed to her sitting on the doormat she is instantly anxious. She picks it up and takes it to the kitchen and as she sits on the kitchen stool she breaks the seal on the envelope.

What is inside hits her like a blow to the stomach. Knowing about Draco's affair is one thing but seeing pictures of it is another, pictures of Draco and Pansy kissing, pictures of him holding her up against the wall with her legs wrapped around him. They make her feel sick and she stuffs them back into the envelope and throws them into the fire while she tries to recover from that metaphorical punch to the stomach.

Later that evening when Draco gets home Hermione notices that he is holding a brown envelope too. She swallows, "Does that have the same pictures in it as the one that arrived here earlier?"

Draco nods darkly, "Did the kids see it?"

"No," Hermione replies bitterly, "It was only me who has to witness your cheating escapades!"

"It is blackmail," Draco says quietly, "I paid off the blackmailer. I suppose I should have suspected this, with my run for Minister."

"Maybe you should have been more careful about where you screwed your slut," Hermione retorts, "You better not have brought her here."

"She's not a slut," Draco bites back, "And of course I didn't, I wouldn't do that with the kids here."

"I don't think there's much you wouldn't do Draco," Hermione says irritably, turning away from Draco before she punches him seriously hard, again.

Draco sighs, and even though she can't see him she can tell that his shoulders are slumped. They stand in silence and Hermione is about to walk away, to crawl into bed, when Draco speaks again, "I don't think anything is going to fix this marriage now Hermione."

"I think you're probably right," Hermione says, swallowing a lump in her throat and leaving him alone in the dark room.

* * *

Hermione leaves England at around 8pm, and arrives in Australia at 5am on Monday morning. When she gets back to the hotel she doesn't think she will bump into anyone. She is exhausted, and as she thinks of Draco with Pansy, and their unsalvageable marriage, she feels it all dragging her down. Her brain is anywhere but in the present as she walks down the corridor, right into Oliver.

"Woah, what are you doing bashing around at 5.30am?" Oliver asks in amusement.

Hermione sighs, "I'm just back from England and I've has a shitty weekend," She says honestly, she has bumped into him close to her hotel room.

"Anything to do with Draco Malfoy?" Oliver asks with a raised eyebrow.

"Everything to do with him," Hermione mutters angrily, "What's got you up so early?"

"Partly the time difference, it's screwing with my head. But to be honest I'm worried about being on air tonight in Australia. My segment is bigger and I've never had people be able to see me on radio, just hear me and it's live too which is new for me," Oliver admits sheepishly. He is normally so sure of himself that it is odd for Hermione to see him so vulnerable.

Hermione smiles, "You'll be fine, do you want to do a run-through? There's no way I'm sleeping now, I'm so jet-lagged."

Oliver grins, "Hermione you're a life saver thank you."

Hermione laughs, "You owe me," She says as they slip into her hotel room together. She has no idea that Harry is watching them in the corridor because he has left his room to get some water. However, as is often the case with Harry's eavesdropping, he has only seen what has happened rather than heard the conversation too and he has made an assumption.

* * *

Inside Hermione's hotel room, things are playing out exactly as Harry had feared.

Hermione is laughing at a joke Oliver has told, having gone over what he needs to do for the live show he is feeling a lot less nervous, but like her he isn't tired.

"You should laugh more often," Oliver says, "You're one of the most beautiful people I know, especially when you laugh."

Hermione scoffs, "Oh come on now Oliver, I know I'm younger than you but have you seen my wrinkles?"

"Laugh lines," Oliver corrects, "And I don't even notice them Hermione. Frankly your scheming politician arsehole of a Husband doesn't know what he's missing."

Hermione smiles and she is about to thank Oliver when his lips connect with hers. She hadn't even seen it coming, but on instinct Hermione kisses him back. He deepens the kiss almost immediately and Hermione's mind goes completely blank. She doesn't care about anything in that moment, she just wants to feel the good without the bad…And that is how she ends up sleeping with _another_ of her researchers. She can't help the fleeting thought that passes through her mind that maybe, since this has now happened twice, she ought to hire a woman next time to try and avoid a third occurrence.

* * *

"Morning Chels."

"Good morning Harry," Chelsea says, handing him a cardboard cup of coffee, "I think we need to take a walk."

Harry raises an eyebrow at her, "What's going on?"

"Let's just walk," Chelsea says, hooking her arm through his and leading him towards the footbridge that they need to cross to get to the studio.

Harry walks with her and keeps his arm hooked through hers as he sips coffee with his free hand, "I'm more than a little bit concerned now, you never walk to work."

"I know," Chelsea says, "But I wanted to talk to you without being overheard."

"About what?" Harry asks curiously.

"Hermione," Chelsea says with a pointed look, "The Hermione that you are still pining after. I'd understand that if her marriage was falling apart and she was turning to you in amongst all of the wreckage. But it's not you she's turning to."

Harry frowns, "What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about the fact hotel room walls are very thin and I am in the room next door to Hermione," Chelsea says quietly, "The room she had Oliver Wood in at 5am this morning."

"I know, I saw him go in," Harry says stiffly, "What did you hear?"

Chelsea gives him a look, "Exactly what I'd expect to hear."

Harry swallows and his frown deepens, "Why tell me this Chelsea? Do you just want to make my pain worse?"

"No, I want to free you from the sick grasp she has over you," Chelsea says honestly, "She plays with your heart, Harry! Why are you holding on to her and not letting anyone else love you when she doesn't care and is off sleeping with other guys?"

"I don't know," Harry says, looking and feeling completely defeated.

"Give me a chance Harry," Chelsea says, tightening her grip on his arm and looking at him with her big blue eyes, "Give _us_ a chance."

As Harry looks up at her, still so angry about everything that Hermione has done, he wonders for the first time if Chelsea is right. Maybe giving her a chance is the best thing he can do. Maybe Neville is right, maybe letting go of Hermione is best for everyone.

He nods and says, "Dinner tonight after the show then?"

Chelsea smiles brightly and replies, "It's a date."

* * *

Later that day, Harry sees Hermione while they are in the studio preparing for the show that night.

"Afternoon" He says dryly when she sits down next to him in the break room with a cup of coffee.

"Afternoon," Hermione yawns.

"Late night?" Harry asks irritably.

"Well I didn't get back until 5am in the morning yesterday, but that is 8pm in the UK, so naturally that screwed up my sleep pattern," Hermione says, waving her hands around as she speaks.

Harry narrows his eyes at her, "Something's up."

"Nothing's up," Hermione lies, because she doesn't think that telling Harry about the almost certain divorce that is coming is a good idea.

"I'm your best friend Hermione, you can tell me anything," Harry says quietly, "And I can tell when something is up with you."

"Has it ever crossed your mind that maybe I just don't _want_ to tell you Harry?" Hermione snaps.

"But you wanted to tell Oliver last night when you were fucking him!" Harry hisses, and Hermione's cheeks turn bright red as her mouth falls open in shock.

"Yeah hotel walls are really thin," Harry says bitterly, "I'd be careful what you do, especially if you don't want me to find out. My girlfriend does sleep in the hotel room next to yours."

"Since when are you and Chelsea an item?" Hermione asks, jealousy bubbling up inside her.

"Since I gave up hope that you and I ever would be," Harry snaps back, walking towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Hermione calls, rather irritably, after him.

"For a walk," Harry replies, "You'll have to rehearse without me. But don't worry, I'm sure Oliver will fill the gap fine."

"Oh bugger off Harry," Hermione says hotly. He has the ability to get under her skin in a way that nobody else can, not even Draco.

"My pleasure," Harry says as he storms from the room, slamming the door so hard that it dents.

Hermione lets her head fall into her hands and she groans loudly.

* * *

The rehearsal that afternoon is slow but Hermione drags herself through it. By the time they are all due to sit down for their glamour and hair charms at 6pm, Harry still hasn't come back to the studio.

Oliver, who is sitting next to Hermione, pulls his chair a little closer and murmurs, "Everything okay?"

"If you call Harry finding out about last night and going AWOL before the show okay, then yes," Hermione mutters angrily.

"He still gets jealous?" Oliver asks with a raised eyebrow, "You broke up with him over 10 years ago."

"He's never quite let go," Hermione sighs as she lets her head fall into her hands.

"Look about last night, I wanted to apologise about that. You were clearly upset about something and I felt a little like I took advantage of you. I mean you're a married woman and I do have morals-"

"Oliver," Hermione cuts him off, "It's alright, really. I'm old enough to make my own mistakes and Merlin knows I've made a lot of them. Things between Draco and I right now are...well things are very difficult."

"Still," Oliver says quietly, "It won't happen again, I promise. I don't want things to be awkward between us."

"I appreciate that," Hermione says, managing the smallest of smiles, "Right now I'm just terrified that Harry is in a bar somewhere getting drunk and that he won't show up tonight."

Oliver opens his mouth to offer some reassurance when the door opens and Harry walks in, looking perfectly sober if a little bit pissed off. Oliver swiftly moves his chair back to its original position as Harry sits down on Hermione's other side. He doesn't say a word to Hermione as she subtly performs wordless, wandless magic to see if he has any alcohol in his system. She breathes a sigh of relief when she realises that he doesn't.

"You could have just asked," Harry says.

Hermione glances over to him, "What?"

He shoots her a knowing look, "I'm not an idiot. You could have just asked me if I had started drinking again."

"Yes well in the past I have asked, and you have said no. Then the following day, or week, I've found out that you _had_ started drinking again," Hermione says bitterly, "So forgive me if I don't quite trust you."

"Yes well forgive _me_ if I don't quite trust you," Harry says, moving closer to her, "After all you assured me that you are married and faithful. I thought you were just a good person but you slept with Oliver so I guess it really is just me and you didn't have the guts to say so."

"Harry, give me a chance to explain," Hermione says quietly, "It isn't you or Oliver. It's Draco and I, things are bad at the moment. They are worse than they have ever been, we're beyond breaking point and all I'm trying to do is hold my family together but there is _no one_ to hold me together so I'm sorry for breaking, but I am only human."

"You could have come to me," Harry whispers.

"No, I couldn't have," Hermione says, "You're too involved in all of this and I worried if I told you that you would go back to Britain and try to hurt Draco. As much as I would love that to happen, it's not good for the kids."

"What's he done to you?" Harry asks, narrowing his eyes at her.

Hermione swallows a lump in her throat, "All you need to know is that the only reason anything happened between Oliver and I is that Draco already broke the vow of faithfulness."

"He cheated on you?" Harry asks in an angry whisper, "With who?"

"Somebody on his campaign," Hermione replies evasively, "I mean it Harry, legally I can't talk about it right now. It has nothing to do with not trusting you, I swear."

"Alright," Harry says as he surveys Hermione's face, "But as soon as you can, promise that you will talk to me?"

"I promise," Hermione says.

For now, this seems to be enough to satisfy him because he nods and pushes his chair over to its original location. Hermione blows out a long suffering breath at how messed up her life has become. With Harry and herself on better terms the rest of the evening doesn't feel like as much of a struggle. But all the same she is aware she isn't her usual self as they go through the final rehearsal and start the show. She goes through the motions, smiling for the camera, interviewing the guests and pretending to have fun in the end of show challenges. Harry loses to Oliver in a technical challenge of who could hit the most bludgers in one minute, and Hermione loses to Chelsea in a game that is somewhere between cricket and Quidditch. They both have other things occupying their minds that day, and Oliver and Chelsea can both see that very clearly.

* * *

"What was your whispered conversation with Hermione about?" Chelsea asks Harry as they wait for their food in a very nice seafood restaurant that night.

"Nothing sinister," Harry says, "We're just friends Chelsea and we always will be regardless of anything else."

"Even after last night?"

"Even after that," Harry says, "All I can say, because this is Hermione's business not mine, is that she had a very good reason for doing what she did last night. Not that it makes me any less annoyed with her, but it's not enough to make me forget about our friendship."

Chelsea nods, "Alright, as long as that's really all it is."

"It is," Harry says with a smile, "But tonight isn't about Hermione, it's about us. So let's talk about something else, like where did you grow up?"

"A tiny little flat in Dublin," Chelsea replies, "I don't really like to talk about it though. My life got a whole lot better when I turned 11."

"I know that feeling," Harry says honestly, "What was your favourite subject at school then?"

Chelsea chuckles, "Go on, see if you can guess."

"Potions?"

Chelsea shakes her head, "Nope, second guess?"

Harry thinks on it for a moment, "Transfiguration?"

"No, what's your final guess?" Chelsea asks.

"Charms?" Harry tries.

Chelsea chuckles and shakes her head, "History of Magic."

"Really?" Harry asks in disbelief, "I spent more time sleeping than working in that class. I ended up passing every exam based on what I got out of Hermione's notes, Ron and me both did."

"I loved it," Chelsea admits, "I found the stories fascinating, it's what made me want to go into journalism and that's how I got into the media business. I think it helped that I had the most amazing teacher though, Professor Patil made everything seem so interesting."

Harry shakes his head, a small smile playing on his lips, "Please stop making me feel old."

Chelsea frowns, "What do you mean?"

"Padma Patil taught you History of Magic, didn't she?" Harry asks.

Chelsea nods, "Yes, do you know her?"

"She is in my year at school," Harry replies, "And my first ever date was to the Yule Ball with her sister Parvati when I was about 14."

Chelsea bites her lip, "That does make the age gap seem pretty big, doesn't it?"

"13 years _is_ a big age gap, I mean my best friend taught you Herbology..." Harry says, torn between being ashamed and laughing.

Chelsea tries to brush it under the carpet, "Not drastically. What was your favourite subject at school, Defence against the Dark Arts?"

"How did you guess?" Harry asks sarcastically.

Chelsea laughs heartily as their food arrives and they exchange amused glances and smiles. They certainly can't deny their being a spark or chemistry between them, that is for sure.

* * *

The following week drags by for Hermione. She manages to successfully avoid Harry all week and her writing for the show is terribly mediocre. Chelsea knows something is up after Hermione hands her a third draft full of spelling and grammatical errors.

"Seriously, what is going on with you?" Chelsea snaps that Thursday afternoon, "I feel like I'm writing this week's show by myself!"

Hermione groans and lays her head against the back of the armchair that she is sitting in, "I'm just going through a lot of crap with Draco right now," She says honestly.

"You mean you're getting divorced?" Chelsea asks bluntly.

"You bloody Irish have no tact," Hermione grumbles, although it is in good nature and Chelsea knows it.

"You didn't deny it," Chelsea points out, "Shit Hermione, I'm sorry."

"It hasn't quite gotten to that point yet," Hermione says honestly.

"Well it clearly isn't good. Is it because of Harry? Are you two...?" Chelsea trails off.

"No," Hermione replies with a frown, "Harry wouldn't do that to you Chelsea."

Chelsea laughs, "What, like I mean something to him?"

"Of course you do," Hermione sighs, "It confuses him because of the age gap and he feels bad about it. But he cares about you, I can see that."

"He cares about me," Chelsea says with a sad smile, "That much is true. But he doesn't love me and I doubt he ever will. Harry Potter's heart is always going to belong to you Hermione and that's why things are bad in your marriage, isn't it?

Hermione averts her eyes, "Draco thinks we're having an affair, but we aren't."

"Not physically at least," Chelsea says knowingly, "I thought, rather naively, that I could maybe make something work between Harry and I. But I can't because I know that I could fall for him so easily if I let myself. But he will never love me because he's been in love with you forever Hermione."

"I know," Hermione says quietly.

"And clearly it's not one sided," Chelsea adds with a pointed look at the older woman, "If your marriage is falling apart, what reason do you have to deny those feelings anymore? Why sleep with Oliver when you care about Harry?"

"I have plenty of reasons," Hermione says darkly, "And I wouldn't expect you to understand them Chelsea because you don't know about his history, not the way that I do. Harry wasn't the saint that everybody thought he was. He had a horrible temper and he was an alcoholic for so long. He ruined my life Chelsea, I don't think I'll be able to forget that."

"I understand better than you think," Chelsea says darkly, "My Mother was an alcoholic and I've never quite forgiven her for taking my childhood away from me. I know how hard it can be especially if..." She frowns and swallows, "If they're violent."

From the look that flashes through Hermione's eyes, Chelsea knows the answer to her question, "Was he?"

"By accident," Hermione mutters as she glances down to the notebook in her lap which is currently empty, "He couldn't control his magic. They said it was post-traumatic stress from the war. He got upset and... things happened that he couldn't control. He would feel guilty afterwards and..."

"And he'd drink," Chelsea says softly.

Hermione nods and glances over at the younger woman, "So do you see? Even if Draco wasn't in the picture, even if I didn't have the kids to think of here. It still wouldn't be easy, not with everything that's happened between Harry and I in the past."

"I get it," Chelsea says honestly, "And I'm here if you need to talk."

Hermione smiles weakly at the girl, "Thank you," She says genuinely.

* * *

When Friday finally arrives Hermione is in two minds about going home. One half of her is excited to see the kids, and in particular to get a big cuddle from Scorpius. Cassie is as mature as she had been at that age but in her mind Scorpius is still her little boy. However, on the other hand, Hermione is unsure how things will be with Draco and with Cassie already worried about them splitting up, she doesn't want to further the damage.

As it so happens it isn't so difficult to begin with because when she arrives Draco is at work and the kids are so happy to see her that they don't notice anything out of the ordinary.

When Draco does get home that night he slips into the bedroom where Hermione, unsurprisingly, is unable to get to sleep, "We have to go to an event tomorrow."

Hermione looks at him for a moment, "An event?"

"A charity event," Draco says, "It's for the campaign, but it's for charity too."

"So you think the fact it's for charity makes it okay to pretend that our marriage isn't falling apart?" Hermione asks.

Draco does look guilty, to his credit, "I need the united family front or I'll never win the campaign Hermione. We can fall apart after that, but for now we have to pretend for a little while longer."

"What's the event?" Hermione sighs, "I was hoping to spend some time with the kids tomorrow."

"You still can," Draco says, "It's a charity ball for Potter Enterprises. It's to fundraise for a new orphanage for magical children, in Hogsmeade."

"Potter Enterprises?" Hermione asks in disbelief, "You want us to go to a fundraiser for Harry's charity?"

"I've won the purebloods over, but the half-bloods are still swithering. I need to get their votes and the best way to do that is to take my family out to a ball where they will all be," Draco says.

Hermione scoffs, "You really are a ruthless snake sometimes."

"But you'll come anyway," Draco says, "Because it means seeing the kids and it means seeing Potter."

"I see enough of Harry in Australia without having to seek him out here," Hermione says irritably, "But yes I will come, because I happen to know it's a fancy dress ball and that the kids will enjoy it. Will you be coming out costume shopping with us tomorrow or will you be fornicating with Pansy in your office?"

Draco glares at her, "I will be working, you can pick a costume for me."

"Fine," Hermione says coolly.

Without another word Draco leaves her alone in the bedroom once more.

* * *

On Saturday morning Hermione makes the kids breakfast while she catches up on their week, "So we have got a fun day ahead today. I was thinking the three of us could head out shopping this afternoon."

"Shopping for what?" Cassie asks eagerly.

"Costumes," Hermione smiles, "For Uncle Harry's fundraiser tonight. It's at his house, and it's all for a new orphanage to be set up in Hogsmeade. Fancy dress is of course compulsory."

"That sounds fun!" Scorpius agrees with a smile, "Is Dad coming?"

"Well your Dad has to work during the day," Hermione says, "But he's coming to the fundraiser tonight _and_ hes dressing up. He's even going to let us pick his costume."

Scorpius frowns, "We barely see him anymore Mum."

Cassie sighs, "I had to ask Uncle Harry for help with my homework the other day because Dad kept saying he was too busy."

"When did you see Uncle Harry?" Hermione asks curiously.

"On Wednesday," Cassie replies, "Aunt Hannah and Uncle Neville were looking after us and Uncle Harry came by for dinner. He helped me with my homework and took Scorp to his Quidditch game."

"How did you do, Scorp?" Hermione asks, reeling from what Cassie has just said but trying not to let it show.

"Great," Scorpius grins, "We won, but Uncle Harry kept cheering and it was so embarrassing."

"Scorp did great Mum," Cassie agrees proudly.

Hermione smiles slightly sadly, "Well in that case I'm sorry I missed it sweetheart."

"It's okay Mum, you have to work," Cassie says, she understands the situation better than her younger brother.

"We just wish Dad didn't have to try and be Minister too," Scorpius says, a frown upon his face once more.

Cassie nods her agreement and Hermione sighs, "I know that it's not ideal but we're just going to have to put up with it because it's what your Dad wants to do. This campaign will all be over soon and then I think you'll be seeing a lot more of your Dad."

"Do your promise Mum?" Scorpius asks.

Hermione doesn't know if the promise is true or not but she knows it will help Scorpius so she smiles and says, "I promise."

* * *

"Well, look at you all in your costumes," Draco says with a genuine smile as he steps into the living room that evening.

"Can you guess what we are, Dad?" Scorpius asks eagerly.

Draco smiles fondly at his son, "You are a Quidditch player but which one? Viktor Krum?"

"Yeah!" Scorpius beams.

"And Cassie," Draco says as he turns to his daughter, "You look so grown up."

"I _am_ going to Hogwarts this year," Cassie says, smiling from beneath her mask. It is a masked costume ball so Scorpius is wearing a scarlet mask to match his costume. Cassie is wearing a green mask to go with her Holyhead Harpies costume.

"And you're Gwenog Jones, aren't you?" Draco guesses.

Cassie nods and smiles, "Yep. Guess who Mum is."

Draco looks over at Hermione and his breath catches for a moment. In all of these years they have gotten so familiar with each other that they forget to appreciate each other. Hermione is wearing a deep blue ball gown and her hair falls beautifully around her face where a small, somewhat sad smile sits.

"You look beautiful love," Draco says quietly.

Hermione's eyes widen slightly at his comment; it is the last thing she is expecting him to say. He steps forward and kisses her on the cheek, "Rowena Ravenclaw?"

Hermione nods, still surprised at his sudden show of affection, "Yes, and your costume is in the bedroom. You had better hurry and change into it, we don't want to be late."

"Of course we don't," Draco says, disappearing upstairs in a flash.

Cassie smiles at her Mother and says, "Dad called you beautiful."

Hermione smiles back at her, "And he called you grown up. Don't go growing up too fast now my darling."

"I won't," Cassie promises as Draco's footsteps sound on the stairs once more.

He sweeps into the room wearing elaborate green dress robes and does a fake evil laugh for the kids. They both burst out laughing, Scorpius to the point of crying with laughter.

Draco grins as he puts his arm around Hermione and says in a deep voice, "I am Salazar Slytherin and I have come to abduct Rowena Ravenclaw and these two small Quidditch players. I will take them to my secret lair in the Potter fundraiser!"

Hermione can't stop herself. Despite the situation she laughs because for the first time since he has decided to run for Minister she is seeing flashes of the Draco Malfoy she had fallen in love with. This is the father who makes his children cry with laughter, who brings a smile to her face.

"Dad!" Cassie says through her laughter, "We're going to be late!"

"Come on," Hermione smiles, throwing some floo powder into the fireplace, "Grimmauld Place!"

"Follow your Mum through," Draco says to the kids, "And I'll be right behind you."

* * *

"Salazar Slytherin and Rowena Ravenclaw. Very inventive of you," Draco says as he and Hermione stand on the side-lines.

"I thought it was fitting," Hermione says, glancing sideways at him, "What's gotten into you tonight?"

"Pretending for the kids isn't so hard," Draco says quietly, "When I was doing it, I could almost pretend we were us again."

"So could I," Hermione says softly, "I miss you Draco, the way you were earlier."

Draco takes her hand and says, "I miss us Hermione, but that doesn't mean staying together is the best thing for us. Is it really fair to carry on pretending for the sake of the kids? Is that fair to either of us?"

"No," Hermione replies honestly, "But it would be the easy way forward."

"The easiest way isn't always the best," Draco says with a sad smile, "A wise woman once taught me that."

Hermione averts her gaze to the corner of the room where the kids are playing, "Well a wise woman is telling you now that you ought to go and talk to Hector Abbott about how much you love your children. That's how to win his vote."

"Thank you," Draco says genuinely.

Hermione shakes her head, "I'm not doing this for you. I'm doing it for the kids, whether you win this campaign or lose it, at least it will be over soon."

Draco gives her a small nod and walks towards Hector Abbott on the other side of the room. Hermione keeps her gaze on her children who are playing quite happily with Alice and Frank. Teddy is sitting with them, gazing longingly at Victoire Weasley as she dances with her Father on the dance floor.

A chuckle sounds from behind her and Harry says, "Ah young love. Remember that?"

Hermione smiles slightly, "Yes, I do. I was about Victoire's age when I had my first crush."

"Me, I hope," Harry jokes.

Hermione shoots him an amused look, "No, Viktor Krum of course."

"Who your son is dressed up as tonight," Harry adds.

"Yes, that is a little odd," Hermione chuckles.

Harry smiles at her, "You look beautiful tonight Hermione. Blue really is your colour."

Hermione looks away from him, to avoid giving away her emotions, "It seems you had the same idea as me. I should have known you would have dressed up as Godric Gryffindor."

Harry grins, "I did try and convince Chels to dress up as Helga Hufflepuff but as a true Slytherin through and through, she wasn't having it."

Hermione laughs and looked over at Chelsea who is locked in conversation with Ron and Alicia at the other side of the room, "Who is she dressed up as, exactly?"

"Greta Catchlove," Harry says in amusement, "And before you ask, she's here as my friend not my date."

"I thought you two were together," Hermione says, frowning at Harry.

"We were tentatively dating," Harry admits, "But Chelsea broke it off. Things are too complicated right now and as much as I do like her the age gap is just...it's too much."

"I understand," Hermione says.

"How are things with you?" Harry asks, glancing from Hermione to Draco who is watching them as he speaks to Hector Abbott.

"We're putting on a brave face, for the kids," Hermione replies honestly, "But that's all it is. It's a show Harry, for the kids, for the press, for his campaign. I feel like an actress in my own life."

Harry offers her a small, reassuring smile, "Things will work out the way they're supposed to in the end Hermione, they always do."

 **TBC :)  
**


	11. The Worst Blow

**Fade Into You**

 **Chapter 11 - The Worst Blow  
**

When they get home from the fundraiser that night, the reality of everything begins to set in. Draco puts Scorpius to bed and Hermione makes sure that Cassie is settled then they meet in the kitchen, both seeking coffee.

The air is awkward and neither of them know what to say. How can they go back to being like this around each other after that small display of love and affection earlier? How can they admit that all of that is fake, surely it means something? These questions make Hermione's head hurt as she pours coffee into a mug.

She picks up the mug and turns around, preparing to walk out of the kitchen when a thick brown envelope hits the table with a sound that echoes around the empty kitchen.

Hermione turns around and frowns, "What's that?" She asks, looking at Draco.

"Divorce papers," Draco says, he sounds resigned, like he has already given up.

"What?"

"This isn't getting fixed Hermione," Draco says, "It was okay at the start and…I think I'm always going to love you. You are a huge part of my life and the kid's life. You were the first person I fell in love with and the first person to believe in me."

Hermione swallows hard, she knows what is coming but she is praying that it doesn't come.

"I won't play second fiddle to Potter anymore, I can't, it's killing me."

Tears spring up in Hermione's eyes, "We said we would think about this-"

"I've thought about it," Draco cuts in, "For Merlin's sake, I've thought about it for weeks! With you gone I've had plenty of time for thinking and we both know that things have been getting worse for months. You losing the show and having to work with _him_ again was the final straw for us. We both know that, but neither of us have been saying it."

Hermione knows that he is right as she swallows a lump in her throat, "What about the campaign?"

"If you don't mind, I would like to keep this quiet until it's over," Draco says quietly, "But I can't keep these locked in my desk anymore. The guilt is eating at me. Ask for whatever you want, I'll give you pretty much anything apart from full custody. Just fill the papers in and give them back to me so I can file them."

Hermione is numb from the shock, "What about the kids?"

"We'll have to explain to them sooner or later," Draco says, "But they are old enough to understand. I was around Scorpius's age when I found out my Father had..."

"Had cheated on your Mother?" Hermione retorts, "Just like you have been cheating on me, you mean? How did that work out for you and your Father? Because if I remember correctly you hated him and were glad when he died."

"He was a Death Eater and a murderer," Draco says darkly, "This is different."

"So you haven't ever been a Death Eater or murdered somebody?" Hermione hisses, "The kids are going to find out one day you know. I made Harry and Ron promise not to tell them but when Cassie goes to Hogwarts people will talk."

"Are you threatening me, Hermione?" Draco asks angrily.

"No, I'm telling you that one day soon the truth will come out and they will realise that their Father isn't as good as he pretends to be," Hermione says honestly, a dark look in her eyes, "I know about what you did during the war, about what you and Pansy covered up."

Draco's eyes widen, "How..."

"I'm your wife Draco, I know you better than you think," Hermione whispers, "And I've been against you running for Minister from the very start in case it brought all your dirty secrets into our children's lives!"

"Well no dirty secrets are being brought into anyone's lives," Draco mutters, "I've made certain of it."

Hermione takes a shaky breath, "You really haven't thought this through at all have you? Not only has this campaign cost you our relationship, it could cost you your daughter. If we file for divorce, we will have to release all of our papers. That includes our marriage certificate and _both_ of the kids birth certificates."

Draco narrows his eyes dangerously at Hermione, "This is really sounding like a threat now. You can't force me to stay with you to keep our secrets hidden!"

"Do you really think that's what I want?" Hermione snaps, "I'm just as unhappy as you are. But we have a daughter to think about and if we disclose her birth certificate there's no telling who could find out about her. Not to mention the fact they might not allow you custody!"

"Of course they'll allow me custody," Draco bites back, "I'm her Father in every way _but_ blood. I was there when she was born, I was the first person in this world to hold her and _I_ raised her! That gives me rights, Hermione!"

Hermione's head pounds and tears sting behind her eyes, "I'm not saying that it doesn't. I'm saying that I am going to have to read this very carefully and before we file _anything_ we are going to have to have a talk with a very good lawyer."

"A very good lawyer such as Theodore Nott?" Draco asks in an undertone.

"Yes," Hermione says quietly, "A very good, very _discrete_ lawyer. Until we know the score, we don't say a word to the children, alright?"

Draco nods, "I'll set it up. Until then I won't say a word to anyone."

"Not even Pansy," Hermione says darkly.

Draco's eyes flash, "Are you going to tell Potter?"

"No," Hermione says irritably, "Because as I have told you, nothing is going on between us!"

Draco nods stiffly but it is apparent that he doesn't believe her, "Fine. If I were you I would hold off on going back to Australia, not until we've talked to Theo."

Hermione can only nod back as he turns around and makes his way up the stairs. She won't break down, not now, she won't give him that satisfaction.

* * *

When Hermione wakes up on Monday morning there is a note that has been slipped under the door by Draco to tell her that they will be meeting Theodore at midday. Hermione gets up, dresses and has breakfast. Then she gets the kids ready and sends them up to the library with their tutor, telling them she has some work to do in the UK before she can head back to Australia.

Hermione is fairly sure she has convinced them that everything is fine. But as she is preparing to leave, Cassie comes downstairs with a very serious look on her face.

"What's wrong, Cassie?" Hermione asks her daughter.

"You're going to a divorce lawyer," Cassie says.

"Hey, Cassie," Hermione says with a frown, "Now-"

"I know you are, Mum," Cassie says quietly, "I heard Dad arrange the meeting via floo...and I saw that woman leave the house one morning last week."

"What woman?" Hermione asks with wide eyes.

"The woman who ruined everything," Cassie says, an anger that Hermione has never seen there before stewing in her daughter's eyes, "The one on his campaign."

"He brought her here?" Hermione asks, she is seething inwardly at the idea.

Cassie nods miserably and Hermione sighs heavily as she pulls her daughter into a hug, "I am so sorry you have to be caught up in the middle of all of this Cass. Does your brother suspect anything?"

Cassie shakes her head and wipes her eyes, "No, I didn't say anything."

"Let's try and keep it secret for a little longer then," Hermione says, still holding her daughter tightly, "Your Dad and I have a lot to work out today. Alright?"

"Alright," Cassie says quietly as she pulls back from the hug.

"And all of this Cassie," Hermione says softly, "It doesn't mean we love you or Scorpius any less, okay? It just means that things between your Dad and I are really hard right now.

"I know," Cassie says, but she is still a little tearful as she walks towards the door, "I have to get back to tutoring," She says evasively and then she darts up the stairs.

Hermione lets her head fall onto the dining room table with a dull thud. Everything she has dreaded is happening, her life is falling apart before her very eyes.

* * *

When Hermione walks into a small Muggle café and sets her eyes on Draco, she has to repress the urge to punch him. She takes a deep breath and sits down next to him in the little booth. Theodore Nott has not arrived yet.

"I cannot believe you brought _her_ to our family home," Hermione says in a dangerous tone as she shoots a sideways look at him.

Draco's eyes flash with surprise briefly, then that surprise is replaced with anger, "Have you been watching the house?"

Hermione scoffs, "How petty do you think I am? I know about your illicit affairs because our daughter told me this morning that she saw Pansy leaving the house early one morning last week. The last thing I wanted was to involve the kids and now Cassie is caught up in the middle of this whole thing!"

Draco, to his credit, does look genuinely guilty, "I never thought she would find out," He says honestly, "And I swear that was the only time it happened."

"Well it had better never happen again," Hermione hisses, "And if you intend to win this campaign you should probably end it! If our daughter can find out, I'm sure the bloody media can!"

"Thank you for your advice," Draco says coldly, "I'll take it on board."

"Oh that's fine," Hermione says bitterly, "Don't listen to the woman who has worked in entertainment for over a decade. It's not like she knows how the press works, what a mad idea!"

"Sarcasm doesn't suit you," Draco bites back as Theodore Nott arrives and slides into the seat across from them.

The tall, thin, ratty faced man surveys them for a moment before saying, "I got your incredibly vague message via floo Draco. What makes your divorce so difficult, exactly?"

"Apart from the fact I'm running for Minister?" Draco asks irritably.

"Your wholesome family image will certainly be ruined unless you can hold off on announcing the divorce until _after_ the election," Theodore says.

"I'm sure that will be possible," Draco says with an irritated glance Hermione's way.

Hermione rolls her eyes, "Whatever your career demands _darling_. No Theodore, the issue is that there is sensitive information in our lives which divorce papers could bring to light. Is there any way we can divorce and get shared custody of the children without submitting their birth certificates?"

Theodore shakes his head immediately, "No chance. They won't grant shared custody unless you can prove that you are the parents of those children. Is that going to be a problem?"

"Yes," Draco says darkly.

Theodore raises an eyebrow, "Why? I can't help you if you don't tell me anything Draco."

"Because Draco isn't the Father of our eldest child," Hermione says quietly.

Theodore's eyes narrows, "And does her certificate name her real Father?"

"No," Hermione replies, "It only names me as her Mother. But if we have to disclose the certificate and the press find out that Draco isn't her Father..."

"The scandal that would ensue could ruin both of your careers, I understand," Theodore says with a nod.

"So what can we do?" Draco asks desperately, "Because we cannot stay together. We're driving each other crazy."

Theodore sighs, "It depends on the situation. Did you legally adopt the child, Draco?"

"As soon as I could," Draco says with a nod.

"In which case you could divorce and get shared custody. But you will still have the problem of having to disclose the birth certificate and adoption paperwork," Theodore frowns, "And the only way you can really get around that is to divorce through a private firm rather than through the DMLE."

"How much would that cost?" Hermione asks quietly.

Theodore raises an eyebrow, "A lot."

"But it would all be kept private?" Draco asks.

"My firm operate the same discretion that I do in all matters," Theodore says pointedly, "And we could have it all filed within a few weeks. If we start the process now, you could announce it after the election has taken place and you are hopefully Minister for Magic."

"Then we'll do it," Draco says with a nod.

Hermione sighs, "Not that we have much choice," She mutters.

Theodore ignores the snide comment and says, "This is the paperwork you need to gather. Once you have it all, all you have to do is file it with me for the process to begin."

Draco nods and shakes Theo's hand, "Thank you Theo," He says with absolutely no regard for the fact he is talking about ending a 12-year marriage.

* * *

"When are we going to tell the kids?" Hermione asks Draco in an undertone after their meeting with Theodore Nott.

"Shouldn't we wait until after the election?" Draco asks with a shrug.

"The election is a week today, Draco," Hermione says irritably, "Cassie already knows somethings wrong. The longer we wait to tell them, the more chance there is that they will hate us for it."

Draco sighs and glances at Hermione, "What do you suggest then? Theo told us to keep quiet about it if we didn't want the press finding out."

"And you think Cassie or Scorpius will tell the press?" Hermione asks in disbelief, "The only people they would even think about telling would be your Mother, Hannah and Neville. Your Mother wouldn't do anything to ruin your precious campaign and Hannah and Neville would never tell the press. They know it would hurt the children and that's the last thing they would want to do. They are their _Godparents_ for crying out loud!"

As much as he doesn't want to admit it, Draco knows that Hermione is right. He sighs heavily, "Then we should tell them tonight before you go back to Australia."

"Do you think that's a good idea?" Hermione asks with a raised eyebrow, "We tell them we're getting divorced and then you disappear to your office all week and I run away to Australia?"

"I don't see many other options, Hermione!" Draco snaps.

"I do," Hermione says firmly, "We tell them tonight, I agree with that part. But after that I think I should take them to Australia with me. Missing a week of tutoring isn't a big deal and it takes them away from here where there will be all of this press."

Draco studies her for a moment, "That's a good idea," He admits.

Hermione nods stiffly, "We'll listen to the election on the radio on Monday afternoon and we'll all come back on Tuesday."

Draco nods again, "Fine. Tonight it is then...what are we going to tell them?"

"Not the truth, that's for sure," Hermione says darkly, "Cassie already knows about your affair but that doesn't mean that Scorpius has to. We say things have been hard and that we think they will be better if we spend time apart."

Draco nods, he looks as tired as Hermione feels.

* * *

Later that evening Hermione feels sick. She and Draco are standing in front of the fireplace in the drawing room. Cassie and Scorpius are sitting down on the sofa, waiting patiently for the announcement they have been warned of. Cassie knows what is coming, Hermione can see her fighting back tears already and it makes it all the more difficult for her to contain her own tears.

Draco clears his throat and begins, sensing that Hermione can't, "Your Mother and I have some bad news for you," He says, "You might have noticed that we've been fighting a lot over the past few months and it's for a lot of reasons that you two won't quite understand yet."

Hermione nods and swallows, "We think it's going to be best for all of us if your Father and I stop putting you through all of this fighting and pain. So we have decided that we're going to separate."

Cassie's tears begin to fall at that point and Scorpius just stares at his parents, "You mean, forever?"

"For a while at the very least," Draco says with a nod, "But it has _nothing_ to do with either of you. We both love you so much and you'll still see both of us all of the time."

"We never see you at the moment anyway, Dad," Cassie says bitterly.

"Your Dad has just been busy with work, we both have," Hermione says gently, "And it's hard, I know it is. But we are going to get through this as a family."

"We aren't going to be a family if you get divorced," Scorpius says tearfully.

"We will be," Hermione says as she kneels down in front of the children, "We will always be a family because I will always be your Mum and your Dad will always be your Dad."

"We know this is going to be hard for you both," Draco says, also kneeling in front of them, "So your Mum thinks it would be a good idea for you to both go to Australia with her tonight. You'll get a little bit of a holiday and you won't be here when all of the newspapers and photographers are here for the election."

Cassie nods and glares at Draco, "I want to live with Mum in Australia for the whole summer."

"So do I," Scorpius says, "I hate you Dad! You're never here, that's why Mums leaving you!"

"Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy, have some manners when talking to your Father!" Draco snaps and it sends shivers down Hermione's spine because he sounds far too much like _his_ Father.

"Hey now," Hermione says, shooting a glare at Draco and taking Scorpius's hand, "This isn't your Dad's fault Scorp. I've had to go away and work too."

"But at least you floo call us," Cassie says as she crosses her arms, "And you come to family days and take us out. You do nothing Dad! Uncle Harry would be a better Dad than you!"

Hermione's heart sinks at the insult. Cassie doesn't understand the damage her words have done. Draco pulls himself to his feet and says coldly and angrily, "I am your Father, whether you like it or not Cassiopeia! Whether you like it or not your Mother and I are divorcing, so go to your room and pack your bags for Australia right now!"

Cassie's tears fall even faster and harder as she gets to her feet and runs to her room.

Scorpius stands up too and glares vehemently at his Father, looking just as Draco had at his age, "I hate you, Dad!" He shouts again as he runs up the stairs after his sister.

Draco swears loudly and leaves the house, slamming the door loudly behind him. Hermione expects that he has run off to hook up with his mistress while he leaves her to deal with their grieving children. She takes a deep breath and wipes her eyes on her sleeve before walking up the stairs to her children's room, after that latest bout of anger Hermione is glad that Draco had agreed with her about taking the children to Australia for the following week.

* * *

"I don't really hate him," Cassie says the moment Hermione walks into her room.

"I know you don't and you have to tell him that," Hermione says softly, "Because he loves you Cassie and you hurt him."

"Why did he get so angry?" Cassie asks with a sigh, "I've never seen him that angry."

"I told you, he and your Uncle Harry do not like each other," Hermione says, understatement of the century, she thinks to herself.

"All because of what happened at school?" Cassie frowns, "That was years ago, it's stupid if they still hate each other because of that!"

"It's not just because of that," Hermione sighs, "And I suppose now is the right time to tell you about all of this. I wanted to tell you before you went to Hogwarts so you wouldn't find out from someone else."

"Tell me about what?" Cassie asks as she wipes her eyes.

Hermione sits down on the edge of her bed and sighs, "Well there is a lot you don't know about your Dad and I, sweetie."

Cassie's frown deepens, "What do you mean, Mum?"

"Your Dad and Uncle Harry don't just hate each other because one was a Gryffindor and the other was a Slytherin. Your Grandfather Lucius, that's your Dad's Father, he was a very bad man. During the Wizarding Wars he was a Death Eater," Hermione explains.

Cassie's eyes widen and Hermione continues, "So your Dad didn't have a great childhood. That's why he wanted to make sure you and Scorp got a great one. Your Dad made some bad decisions when he was young, he used to bully your Uncle Harry, and me too."

"Why did you marry him if he bullied you?" Cassie asks in confusion.

"Because he wasn't always a bully," Hermione replies honestly, "He grew up after the war. But during the war...when your Dad was 16 he became a Death Eater."

"Dad is a Death Eater?" Cassie asks in disbelief, tears pricking at her eyes again.

"He _was_ a Death Eater," Hermione corrects, "He was forced into it by Lord Voldemort. After the war I saw that he was a good person and I fell in love with him. That's why we got married and had you and Scorp. But Harry and Uncle Ron, they aren't as forgiving as I am and they don't like who he used to be."

"That's why they fight," Cassie realises, "But why does Dad hate Uncle Harry so much?"

"Because when we were younger, Uncle Harry and I used to be boyfriend and girlfriend," Hermione tells her honestly, "And Dad didn't like that."

Cassie's eyes widen, "I never knew about that."

"You didn't know about any of this for a reason Cass," Hermione says as she catches her daughter's eye, "You weren't old enough to know. But people will talk at Hogwarts, they might say bad things about your Dad especially if you're in Gryffindor. But I want you to know that whatever they say, it isn't true. You know the truth, don't you?"

"He's a great Dad," Cassie says honestly, "Or at least he was before the Minister campaign."

"He still loves you," Hermione promises, "Even if he's very busy at the moment. He's stressed and that makes him angry but he still loves you and your brother, I promise."

Cassie nods and leans forward to hug her Mother, "I wish we could stay with you in Australia all summer Mum."

"I know darling," Hermione says softly as she hugs her daughter, "But we can't afford a tutor out there and it's not fair to your Dad, is it? He'd miss you and Scorpius so much."

"I know," Cassie sighs.

Hermione pulls away from the hug and kisses Cassie on the forehead, "I've got to go and make sure that your brother is alright. Not a word of all of this to him, alright? He's still too young."

"I promise," Cassie says, pinky promising with Hermione as they had done since Cassie was small.

Hermione smiles at her daughter, "It's all going to be fine, I promise. But if you want that holiday to Australia you should get packing."

Cassie smiles genuinely and nods, "I will," she says as she pulls her suitcase from her wardrobe.

* * *

"Can I come in Scorp?"

There is a muffled yes. Hermione sighs as she realises that Scorpius has clearly been crying. She takes a deep breath and opens the door, stepping into her sons Quidditch clad bedroom and shutting the door behind her.

Scorpius is lying in his bed with the covers pulled around his head. Hermione sits down gently next to him and pulls the covers down enough to stroke his pure blonde hair as she had done when he was a baby. Scorpius sniffles and turns around so he can lie his head in Hermione's lap.

"I know this is hard sweetheart," Hermione says gently as she continues to stroke his hair.

"I wish things could be like they used to be," Scorpius says tearfully, "When we were all happy."

"I know," Hermione says, "But things can't always stay the same. All people change, and bad things like this happen to us. All we can do is get through them and be big and brave."

"Dad isn't brave," Scorpius says quietly, "He runs away every time something bad happens. Uncle Harry and Uncle Neville are brave."

"Well Uncle Harry and Uncle Neville were Gryffindors," Hermione explains, "Just like I was. They say Gryffindors are brave and strong, and Slytherins are smart and sneaky."

"I think you're brave and strong, Mum," Scorpius says quietly.

Hermione smiles slightly, "Well thank you, but I'm just a normal person. I'm not any braver or stronger than you or your big sister."

"Cassie's braver than me," Scorpius says, "She's going to be a Gryffindor."

"Do you think so?" Hermione asks her son, "I think she's going to be a Ravenclaw. She reads far too many books, just like me."

Scorpius laughs slightly, and it makes Hermione smile, "Now, when you see your Dad I think you are going to have to apologise. You don't hate him and that's an awful thing to say to your Father."

"I do hate him right now," Scorpius says quietly, "I wish he would take me to my Quidditch games and stay and watch like he used to. He doesn't even play Quidditch with me anymore and he stopped coming to family days."

"That doesn't mean you hate him, Scorpius," Hermione says, a firmness in her voice now, "Hate is a very strong and a very nasty word. You should only hate somebody if they have done something very awful to you. You don't hate your Father for missing out on some things at the moment, you are allowed to be angry at him but not hate him. Alright?"

"Alright," Scorpius says grudgingly.

"Now, do you want to go to Australia?" Hermione asks, glancing down at the boy with his bloodshot eyes and tearstained face.

Scorpius sits up and nods, wiping his tears away as he does so.

"Well in that case I think I should help you pack, shouldn't I?" Hermione asks, smiling at him with all of the false positivity that she can possibly muster.

* * *

That night the kids apologise to Draco, and he to them. They say their goodbyes, and while the kids are waiting for Hermione by the door she grabs a few minutes alone with her soon to be ex-husband.

"You are bringing them back, aren't you?" Draco asks sceptically.

"Of course I am," Hermione mutters, "They are your children Draco. I promised shared custody and I meant that. I just think a little space and some fun will do them some good at the moment. I just wanted to wish you luck with the election."

Draco nods, "Thank you. I'll need it, we have fallen massively behind Weasley."

Hermione sighs, "Well whatever the outcome, I hope we can stay civil when it's all over. For the kids as much as for ourselves."

"We'll make sure of it," Draco says quietly, "We have been enemies and we have been lovers. I'm sure we can manage friends."

Hermione manages a weak smile at that, "Alright then. Well, good luck."

Draco nods once more, "Have fun this week and... keep an eye on them."

"Of course I will," Hermione says softly, "I'll floo every couple of days so you can speak to them. I'll see you soon."

"See you soon," Draco agrees, waving to the children one last time as Hermione takes them out of the house. They walk down the garden path silently and then Hermione apparates them to the International Apparition Centre. The three of them play games to pass time in the waiting room and eventually they make it to the front of the line and go to Australia.

They had left England on Monday night and they arrive in Australia in the early hours of Tuesday morning. When they get into the hotel Hermione tells the kids to go to sleep in the twin beds in the room adjoining hers. She knows they will wake up in the middle of the day but it will be the easiest way for them to fix their sleep pattern. She on the other hand, is not tired so she spends the early morning sitting out on her balcony watching the sunrise as she writes some of the best stuff for the show she has written in weeks. Despite everything her mind is much clearer now, she finally feels like she has a sense of clarity.

The kids wake up at midday so Hermione sorts them out with breakfast and gives them a brief tour of the hotel. They grab an early light dinner together that night and then Hermione whips them off to the studio which involves a walk through Sydney which fascinates them both. When they arrive in the studio at 5pm, Hermione is immediately jumped on by Sebastian.

"Where have you been? You missed the first rehearsal yesterday and the stage set up today! We thought you weren't going to show up!" Sebastian exclaims.

"I was sorting the kids out," Hermione says with a pointed glance behind her, "They are staying with me in Sydney this week and they were pretty jetlagged. But it's fine, I'm here in time for hair and makeup."

"You better be glad that the show was moved to Tuesday this week," Sebastian says under his breath, "Thank your lucky stars for that important ministerial announcement that put us off air yesterday."

"I wouldn't have been so late if I hadn't known the show had been moved to today," Hermione says calmly, "I'm here now and I won't miss the second rehearsal. Is Chelsea angry?"

"Oh yeah," Sebastian mutters as he turns to the kids, "Hey Scorp, hey Cass! Wow you've gotten big."

"You haven't seen me in years Uncle Seb," Cassie says with a raised eyebrow.

"Well your Mum's work has been very busy," Sebastian says with a smile, "But it's awesome to have you guys here in Sydney. Come on through with your Mum and me to hair and makeup, I'll see if Rebecca can find you some snacks."

"Awesome!" Scorpius says, and he instantly follows Sebastian.

Hermione laughs as Cassie rolls her eyes at her Mother, "Does he think I'm still 8?" She asks.

"He doesn't have any kids, cut him a break you smarty," Hermione says with an amused smile as she leads Cassie into the hair and make-up room.

"Hermione, there you are-" Chelsea begins irritably, but she cuts herself off when she sees the kids, "- wait are these your kids?"

Hermione nods, "This is Cassie, she's 10, and this little guy is Scorpius, he's 8."

"Not that little," Harry says as he walks in from another door, "He's big enough to destroy the Swindon Swans at Junior League Quidditch."

Scorpius grins, "Hey Uncle Harry!" He says, running over to the man and hugging him.

"Hey," Harry says, ruffling Scorpius's hair and glancing over at Cassie, "You're too young to look like a huffy teenager Cass," He teases.

Cassie rolls her eyes, "Well everyone here is treating me like a child and I'm going to Hogwarts this year."

"You're too old for your years," Harry says with a smile, "Like your Mother."

Hermione resists the urge to roll her own eyes, "Well little miss clever clogs, you're going to have to find something to amuse yourself with because I have to get my hair and makeup done for this show."

"Here, read this Cass," Harry says, throwing her the book he has in his hands, "It's Roger Davies book, all about British Quidditch."

Cassie's eyes light up as she catches the book, "Wow, thanks Uncle Harry!"

Harry just smiles at her, "No worries," He says, patting her on the shoulder as he walks past her and takes his seat next to Hermione.

"Don't even ask," Hermione says as she senses his gaze on her.

"Come on," Harry says in disbelief, "You brought Cass and Scorp to Australia and you're expecting me not to ask? I don't even _need_ to ask. Things are clearly going badly very quickly."

"Yes, they clearly are," Hermione agrees as she shoots him a sideways glance, "Not that it's any of your business mind you."

"I'm your best friend," Harry says irritably, "You used to tell me everything."

"We _used_ to be slightly more intimately involved," Hermione mutters, "So of course I told you everything. Do you really want to know the ins and outs of my marriage with the guy who you claim was your arch-enemy during your Hogwarts days?"

"Well, no," Harry admits.

"Exactly" Hermione says with a sigh, "Frankly I'm stunned we managed to keep up a friendship after I married Draco."

"I'm still stunned you married him," Harry says under his breath, "If I had been there to tell you how stupid an idea it was there was no way you would have gone ahead with it."

"You're right, I probably wouldn't have," Hermione says, fixing her eyes on his intense green ones, "But you weren't there. You were in the rehabilitation ward of St. Mungo's for the 5th time, you were a drunken idiot. So don't try and make this out to be all my fault Harry."

Harry swallows whatever smart or catty response is stirring in his head. Instead he sighs and says quietly, "Hermione, has it ever crossed your mind that the reason I stayed your friend for all of these years despite Malfoy, is because I would miss you otherwise?"

"I know Harry," Hermione says quietly, "And I would miss you too. Why do you think I fought so hard to let you be a part of the kid's lives? To be a part of my life? I'm sorry that things ended the way they did but I couldn't give up our friendship too."

"And I appreciate that," Harry says honestly as he reaches over and grabs her hand.

Hermione swallows at the spark of electricity that shoots through her at his touch. She knows now that there is no turning back, the divorce with Draco is going ahead and Hermione can only keep fighting her feelings for Harry for so long.

* * *

"That show was awesome Mum!" Cassie says eagerly as she, Scorpius, Hermione and Harry walk back to the hotel together in the cool evening air.

"I can't believe we got to meet David Root, he's like the number one Quidditch player in the world!" Scorpius exclaims.

"And we met Susan Krum, she's amazing! She made Scotland such a good team, and she's so funny too," Cassie gushes.

Hermione chuckles, "We went to school with Susan, she was a lovely person back then too."

"And do you know how young David Root is?" Harry asks them in amusement.

Scorpius frowns, "About 24?" He guesses.

Hermione chuckles "No, you're a little bit off there."

"He's 17," Cassie says matter of factly, "The youngest person to play for England in over 100 years."

Harry smiles at Hermione in amusement, he is reminded of something similar she had said about him when he became a seeker in 1st year.

"That's right, where did you read that?" Hermione asks her daughter.

"In the book Uncle Harry let me borrow," Cassie says, turning her attention to Harry, "It's really good!"

"I'm glad you're enjoying it," Harry says brightly as they stop on the bridge and take a moment to admire the view.

"I like Australia," Scorpius says thoughtfully.

"It's a very beautiful place," Hermione says as she puts her hand on her son's shoulder.

"Do you think Dad would like it here?" Cassie asks curiously.

"I'm not sure," Hermione replies, aware that Harry has tensed up next to her, "I don't think so. You know that he doesn't like hot countries."

"Is he a vampire?" Harry jokes as they continue on their way.

"I don't think so," Scorpius says matter of factly, "I've never seen him kill anybody."

"Scorpius!" Hermione half-scolds, half-chuckles, "Your Father is not a vampire. He just has fair skin so he gets sunburned easily."

"What does fair skin mean?" Scorpius frowns.

"Skin that is pale like yours," Cassie says in her smart-arse voice, "You have really pale skin like Dad, and I have darker skin like Mum and Uncle Harry."

Hermione is starting to get worried by these comments, there is no way Cassie can know the truth...is there?

"Olive skin," Harry says with a smile, "Some people have fair skin and some people have olive skin. It means it goes a nice sort of golden colour in the sun, like your Mum and me. We've got good tans, right?"

Cassie nods, "I want a suntan too."

"You'll have one by the end of the week," Hermione says in amusement, "What do you want to do this week? I'll have to do a little writing with Chelsea but apart from that we can do anything you want."

"I want to go to the Sydney Quidditch Museum tomorrow!" Scorpius pipes up.

"But Mum, I want to go see the Sydney Opera House tomorrow!" Cassie argues.

Hermione opens her mouth to come up with a compromise but Harry beats her to it, "Well we can always divide and conquer. I can take you to the museum Scorp, and you and your Mum can go see the Opera House, Cass."

"Okay!" Scorpius says eagerly.

Hermione is slightly irritated that she doesn't get a say in the matter but she nods anyway. Harry has always been good with the kids and they love him like an Uncle or a Godfather even though he is officially neither of those things.

"Could we go to the Sea Life Centre or the Australian Magical Animals Park too?" Scorpius asks.

Cassie crosses her arms at her brother's request, "I will refuse to go to any of those places! They keep Kelpies in tiny tanks and Centaurs caged up! It's wrong, they should be living out in the open in their natural habitat!"

Hermione bites her lip at the knowing look Harry is giving her, "I think your sister is right Scorp, those places are cruel and I would prefer it if we didn't go to them."

"Dad says that they're just animals," Scorpius argues, "He says it doesn't matter."

"Well your Dad was never a member of spew," Harry smirks.

"Society for the Protection of Elvish Welfare!" Hermione says automatically, it is more of a reaction than a voluntary comment these days.

Harry grins, "Honestly though Scorp, your Dad isn't right about everything. Kelpies are dangerous but they shouldn't be put in a tank for amusement. And Centaurs are very smart, wise and kind beings. It's not fair to put them in enclosures when they should be allowed to roam in the forest."

Scorpius sighs, "Fine."

Hermione gives him a firm nod and he walks slightly ahead with Cassie. This allows Harry to fall into step with her, "Some things really do never change."

"No," Hermione sighs, "Some aspects of a person never change."

"I don't mean this absolutely, but more in a general sense," Harry begins as he watches the two children, "You essentially have a mini Draco Malfoy, and a mini Hermione Granger there."

"I know," Hermione says as she watches the children too, "But Scorpius has some of me in him at least. He's sensitive and compassionate."

"I don't see any of Malfoy in Cass though," Harry muses, "Maybe that's why I get on with her a little better. I mean don't get me wrong I love Scorp, but he's much more impressionable."

Hermione simply nods her agreement, aware of how close to her Harry is. With the slight breeze she can smell his cologne and it is bringing back a whole boatload of memories.

"I wonder how she got none of her Father's traits," Harry continues to muse, and the sick feeling that has always arisen when she thinks about Cassie's true parentage, plagues Hermione once more.

"I don't know," Hermione lies, "Maybe she's just more of a Granger than a Malfoy."

Harry doesn't seem to detect her slip up or her uncomfortableness, he is too deeply in thought. He nods and says quietly, "And that's not necessarily too much of a bad thing."

Hermione can't disagree with that so she simply remains silent.

 **TBC :)  
**


	12. Family Ties

**Fade Into You**

 **Chapter 12 - Family Ties  
**

Hermione (occasionally with help from Harry) spends the next week having fun with her children in Sydney. As promised she takes Cassie to see the Sydney Opera House while Harry takes Scorpius to the Sydney Quidditch Museum. Both the kids have a fantastic time and on Wednesday Hermione takes them both to Sydney Tower. Scorpius isn't so keen on the height but the view from the top is amazing. On Thursday Hermione and Cassie drag an incredibly bored Scorpius around the Australian Museum where they spend a good few hours, much to Scorpius's annoyance.

Hermione calls in Harry's help on Friday when the kids announce that they want to go to Luna Park, a Muggle theme park and Hermione's worst nightmare. She is okay with heights but she still hates flying and as far as she is concerned, that includes theme park rides that would throw her around the place.

"This place is amazing!" Cassie says once they have paid for their tickets and entered the park.

Scorpius frowns as he looks at the big rollercoasters and a huge ride that drops you from up high. He reaches up and takes Hermione's hand, "Mum, I don't want to go on those rides."

"That's alright sweetheart, there are rides for younger children," Hermione says as she also surveys the rides that Cassie is watching so eagerly.

"I want to go on everything!" Cassie exclaims.

"So do I," Harry grins.

Hermione resists the urge to roll her eyes at the similarities between them, "Well I certainly don't, and if you get my daughter killed today I will not be happy with you Harry."

"We'll be fine," Harry says with a laugh, "What do you say we split up so that everyone can have fun, then we can reconvene in a few hours?"

"Sure," Hermione says with a soft smile, "I'll call you so keep your phone on, alright?"

"Alright," Harry says as he smiles at her and his green eyes sparkle with happiness, "Right then Cass. What are we hitting first? This huge droppy thing or that rollercoaster?"

Cassie grins and grabs his hand, "The rollercoaster, come on Uncle Harry!"

Hermione chuckles as they dash off. She keeps her hand in Scorpius's as they walk towards the children's rides. They find a carousel fairly easily so they climb on, with Scorpius sitting on the horse next to Hermione.

"Cassie is definitely going to be a Gryffindor," Scorpius says matter of factly.

Hermione laughs, "Yes, I think she might be Scorp."

Scorpius frowns at his Mother as they wait for the ride to start, "Do you think I'll be a Hufflepuff since I'm scared?"

"Hey, Hufflepuff's aren't scared of anything," Hermione says gently, "They are smart, loyal and amazingly kind people. Aunt Hannah was a Hufflepuff and I think she's very brave. You are only scared because you're younger than Cass, you'll love all these scary rides in a couple of years I bet."

"Okay," Scorpius says, seemingly convinced by her argument as the ride begins.

* * *

"That rollercoaster was amazing!" Cassie says when they step off of it.

"I've been on better," Harry says with a grin, "I'll take you to the Blackpool Pleasure Beach sometime in England. It's got the best rollercoasters anywhere, although Uncle Ron will tell you that Alton Towers is better."

"Can we go on that next?" Cassie asks eagerly, pointing at the huge tower ride that raises you to the top and then drops you.

Harry raises an eyebrow at her, "Are you sure that isn't too scary for you Cass? You're only 10."

"So?" Cassie asks as she drags him towards the line, "I'm 11 next month and heights don't scare me. I've been higher on my broom but never in front of Mum, she'd go mad."

"She just worries about you," Harry says with a smile, "She loves you more than anything else in the world."

"I know she does," Cassie says as they wait in line, "But she's so over-protective sometimes."

"It's just because she cares," Harry says diplomatically, "And after the day I'm having today with you, I'm pretty sure you're gonna be a Gryffindor like your Mum. You have no fear!"

Cassie laughs, "Yeah I definitely don't get that from my Dad. Mum thinks I'll be a Ravenclaw and Scorp thinks I'll be a Gryffindor. Do you think Dad will go mental if I'm a Gryffindor?"

"I don't know Cass," Harry admits, "Your Dad and me don't exactly get on. I know if you were a Slytherin your Mum wouldn't mind. Your Dad loves you, so he should be happy wherever you end up really."

"I suppose," Cassie muses as they near the start of the line, "Are you scared of heights Uncle Harry?"

"Luckily for you, no," Harry says with a grin, "But I do love an adrenaline rush."

"Me too!" Cassie beams, "This is the best day ever!"

* * *

After their carousel ride, Hermione takes Scorpius to the kiddie rides. He is still only 8 and Hermione would have hated a place like this as an 8 year old too. But she figures from the silence on Harry's end that he and Cassie are having a great time. Hermione sits on a bench and watches while Scorpius goes on the same few rides over and over again. He finally seems to be having a good time.

When he is on the little rollercoaster for the third time Hermione's phone rings and at first she thinks it is Harry asking to reconvene for lunch. When she glances at the Caller ID though she is surprised to see Hannah's name flash up. She answers the phone, assuming it is something serious because Hannah knows she is in Australia and that phone calls will be ridiculously expensive.

"You do realise this phone call is gonna cost you a ton, right?" Hermione says as she accepts the call.

" _I know,"_ Neville's voice says over Hannah's phone, " _But I figured you should know about this before it hits the Australian press. It will be easier to keep the kids from seeing it that way."_

"From seeing what?" Hermione asks anxiously, "What's happened Neville? Is Draco alright?"

" _That depends on your definition of alright,_ " Neville says honestly, " _Considering he has an election in 3 days and the Daily Prophet have just published a pretty negative front page article about him."_

"What does it say?" Hermione asks, dreading Neville's answer.

" _Did you know about the affair?"_ Neville asks.

"Yes," Hermione sighs, "I told him the press would find out if he wasn't more careful but he clearly didn't listen to me."

" _Clearly not, because there are some pretty graphic pictures on the front page Hermione. Pictures no children of his should have to see,"_ Neville says and Hermione can hear that he is seething about the fact that Draco would let himself put the kids in that situation.

"Oh Merlin," Hermione mutters, "How scathing is it, exactly?"

" _Scathing,"_ Neville says honestly, _"The Prophet think you are the golden girl and the next best thing since sliced bread. It talks all about his terrible betrayal and your blind innocent trust in that he had changed since the war. There are a lot of other journalistic comments along those bullshit lines. It also says that the affair is the reason that you have filed for divorce. Is that true Hermione?"_

"Not exactly. We only started the process a few days ago," Hermione sighs, "But it was supposed to stay out of the press until after the election. Merlin knows how Draco is taking all of this, he won't give a damn about the kids and how it will affect them if they see this. All he will be thinking about is his damned election."

" _I'm sure somebody on Percy's campaign found out about this and leaked it,"_ Neville admits, _"It's too close to the election to be anybody else. I know Percy himself would never use dirty tactics but he doesn't have control over his entire office."_

"No, you're right," Hermione agrees, "It does make a great deal of sense. There's no way Draco will win the election now, mind you."

" _You sound glad about that,"_ Neville comments.

"To be honest Neville, I am," Hermione admits, "Because he's not been there for the kids at all and this whole campaign has turned him into a nightmare. With any luck he'll be more reasonable when he loses its. But thank you so much for the heads up, I'll keep the kids away from the papers until I can explain properly. I don't want them to find out through the medium of the bloody vultures that are the press."

" _That's how I thought you would feel,"_ Neville says, _"Just take care Hermione, we'll catch up soon."_

"Alright, thanks again Neville," Hermione says as she hangs up and sighs heavily. She puts on a false smile and waves at Scorpius as he comes off the ride and runs over to another one. She decides to keep this from Harry and the kids for the remainder of the day, she will deal with it when she gets back to the hotel.

* * *

After their wild adrenaline rush, Harry and Cassie go on a few other rides before deciding to meet up with Hermione and Scorpius. There is a ride akin to the Waltzers, and some horrific thing that spins you around high in the air which Harry has to admit did make him feel pretty sick. He draws the line at a spinning room with sticky walls and no floor, and some giant ride that throws you around like a ragdoll but Cassie would have gone on everything if she had it her way.

They are walking towards the critically acclaimed Coney Island Funhouse to meet Hermione and Scorpius and sipping on ice cold slushies as they do so.

"Uncle Harry, if I tell you something can you promise not to tell my Mum?" Cassie asks as they saunter through the theme park.

"Sure, as long as it's not something she really needs to know," Harry says reasonably.

"I've had way more fun today than I do when I go out anywhere with Dad," Cassie admits, "I mean I don't mind it when he takes us to Quidditch games but he doesn't like the muggle world so our days out are boring. Mum takes us to theme parks and swimming pools and to see movies."

"Well your Dad's just from a different world than your Mum and me," Harry reasons, "He doesn't like the muggle world because I suppose it kind of scares him."

"I didn't know you were a muggle-born too," Cassie says as she looked up at him, "I thought you had magical parents since you defeated Voldemort and everything."

"I did have magical parents," Harry says, "But my Mum was a muggle-born and she had a muggle sister. My Mum and Dad died when I was really young, so I grew up in the muggle world with my Aunt and Uncle."

"Just like Mum then," Cassie says.

"Just like your Mum," Harry agrees, "Except we didn't live anywhere near each other. I didn't know your Mum until I went to Hogwarts."

"Were you best friends right away?" Cassie asks curiously.

Harry laughs, "Not exactly. Your Mum was so smart, not many people understood her. All she cared about was school and doing really well, or at least that's what we thought but underneath it all she just wanted friends. At first me and Uncle Ron thought she was a bit annoying, always answering every question and correcting everything that we said, you know?"

"I'm not that bad, am I?" Cassie asks anxiously.

"No, not at all," Harry replies, "The thing with your Mum was that she wanted to prove she was just as smart as somebody who grew up in the wizarding world, even though she didn't. You don't have that problem because you grew up here."

"So how did you become friends then?" Cassie asks.

Harry laughs and says, "Well, your Uncle Ron and I saved her from a ten-foot mountain troll."

"When you were 11?" Cassie asks in disbelief.

"Yeah," Harry says with a fond smile, "Looking back I have no idea how we managed it or why we did it. But ever since that night your Mum and me have been best friends."

"That's an awesome friendship story," Cassie grins, "I wish Mum and Dad's story of how they met or got together was that cool."

"How did your Mum and Dad get together?" Harry asks, he has never asked and has never wanted to know until now.

"Well," Cassie says as she launches into full-on storytelling mode, "Mum was working on this story about a Kelpie in Loch Ness and Dad was there to help the Aurors out because they were short-staffed. He walked up to her at the river and asked her to dinner and she said yes."

Harry nods thoughtfully, a pang of betrayal still hitting him in the chest as he thinks about it. But now he knows that he hadn't been good enough for Hermione then. He doesn't have time to say anything else about it, even if he had wanted to, or had known what to say. At that point they reach the others and Cassie tells her Mum all about all of the amazing rides she has gone on while Scorpius eagerly finishes Harry's slushy. By the time they are finished on all counts Hermione's expression is one of amusement and exasperation.

"Alright, are you guys ready for this funhouse?" Hermione asks, "It's got lots of rides inside, it'll be fun!"

Harry smiles at her and they enter the funhouse, and it is fun. There are funny walkways which they have to help each other along, and bouncing steps, and a mirror maze which Scorpius navigates them all through swiftly. There are hamster wheels to run through and floors that spin you around. To finish it all off much to the kids delight, there are giant slides.

Harry and Hermione stand at the bottom while the kids take a few shots each on the slides and they speak properly for the first time that day.

"I've had a fantastic day," Harry says with a smile at her.

"So have I," Hermione admits as she watches the kids, "My children adore you."

"And I adore them," Harry says honestly, "They're great kids, even if Scorp is a little bit too much like his Father."

"There are good things in that," Hermione says, "His Father is a good man after all. Just not as brave a man as you are."

"Merlin, speaking of bravery," Harry chortles, "That daughter of yours has no fear."

"I know," Hermione laughs, "Some days I wonder if they switched her out in St. Mungo's. I was never that brave."

Harry raises an eyebrow at her, "You defeated a giant Devils Snare in 1st year and tried to find a Basilisk by yourself in 2nd year. You went back in time in 3rd year and tried to take on a werewolf. You went to the Ministry and fought a battle in 5th year. You fought _another_ battle at Hogwarts in 6th year and then you fought in a war for an entire year. You think you're not brave? Hermione, you're the bravest woman I know, I'm not surprised your daughters fearless."

"Fearless was more your thing," Hermione unwittingly admits, "I did brave things but I did them because I knew they needed to be done. Running into stupid situations with no fear and nearly getting killed, that was more your kettle of fish."

Harry laughs as the kids begin to run towards them. He shoots her a cheeky smile and says, "And you say that like it's a bad thing."

* * *

Harry helps Hermione get the kids back to the hotel after their hectic day and as they collapse on the sofa with books, he follows Hermione out to the balcony. The sun is beating down, it has been all day but it hasn't ruined their fun. In fact, Hermione can't remember the last time she had so much fun, it is a pity Neville's bad news has dampened it.

"Harry," Hermione says softly, "I need your help with something and I need you to promise not to ask any questions."

Harry frowns, "Alright," He says immediately.

"I have to tell the kids something," Hermione says in a whisper as tears sting her eyes, "Something really bad and I need you to be here to support me...and them."

"This is about why you brought the kids to Australia," Harry says. It isn't a question and he is watching her so closely with those damned green eyes of his.

Hermione nods, "I can't say anymore now. I know what your temper is like and this will set it off but I need you to promise me that you will help me and the kids. And you and I will talk about it later when I can get some silencing charms up."

Harry grabs her hand and entwines his fingers with hers, "I promise," He says, his eyes locked on hers.

Hermione swallows and wrenches her eyes away from his. She takes her hand out of his grasp and walks into the living room, sitting down in an armchair near to the sofa where the children are lounging. Harry stands behind her, his hand resting on her shoulder in a way that comforts her more than it should.

"Cass, Scorp," Hermione says, calling them to attention.

They look up and Cassie's smile falls from her face as she realises that more bad news is coming their way. Hermione puts on a false smile and says, "I have another bit of bad news for you and I want to tell you before you see it in the newspapers. Your Dad and I told you before we left England that we are getting a divorce, but we didn't tell you why."

"It's because of that woman," Cassie says angrily, "Isn't it? The one he called Pansy?"

Hermione swallows and feels Harry tighten his grip on her shoulder as he fights his anger, "Yes it is to do with Pansy. She's an old friend of your Dads from Hogwarts and they reconnected recently. Your Dad cares about her so-"

"- so he doesn't want to be with you anymore," Cassie snaps, "Why is nothing ever enough for him Mum? Why are none of us ever enough? I hate him!"

"Hey Cassie," Harry says, his own voice strained as he fights to contain his anger, "Your parents were together for a long time but people change and-"

"Shut up!" Cassie shouts, "You are not our Dad, Uncle Harry!"

"Cassie!" Hermione snaps as Scorpius cuddles into her, he has begun to cry again, "Do not make this about you! I understand that you are upset and I'm upset too. But your Dad likes somebody else and it's not fair to tell him that he can't be with her. Please apologise to Harry, he was just trying to help."

"He's trying to be our Dad and he isn't!" Cassie shouts, storming from the room into her own one that is connected to Hermione's.

"Should I?" Harry asks, motioning to the door.

Hermione shakes her head, "No, she's a 10-year-old girl. The best thing for her right now is a little bit of space," She says as Scorpius scrambles onto her knee.

"You're getting a bit big for that," Hermione says with a slight smile as Scorpius finally settles.

Scorpius shrugs and says very quietly, "I think Uncle Harry is better than Dad. He cares about us."

"Your Dad cares about you too," Hermione says, swallowing a lump in her throat, "He's just having a hard time right now, we all are."

Scorpius nods and pops his thumb into his mouth. It is a habit they had knocked out of him in his early childhood but with everything going on right now Hermione doesn't have the heart to tell him off for it.

* * *

When Hermione finally manages to lift Scorpius into his own bed, Cassie is already asleep. Or more to the point she is pretending that she is so Hermione leaves her to her own devices, hoping she might wake up in a better mood.

She takes to the balcony, which has become a sort of haven and breathes a sigh of relief. Harry steps out after her, holding a bottle of wine and a glass. He sets them down on the table and says, "I thought you could use a glass, or two."

"Try the bottle," Hermione says as she sits down heavily and lazily throws up a basic silencing bubble around the balcony.

Harry pours her wine and then sits down across from Hermione, fixing her with a long, hard look.

"You can let loose now you know," Hermione says with a raised eyebrow, "The kids are asleep. Tell me how stupid I am, say I told you so. Say I married a sleazy bastard."

Harry shakes his head very slightly and says, "He cheated on you with that pug faced bitch and he didn't even have the curtesy to be secretive about it for his children's sake! He hasn't even floo-ed you or owled you to apologise! He's just left you to sort this all out yourself, he's left you to break all of his shit to your children while he does what? Sits in his office crying to his mummy about how he's going to lose his precious fucking election! Does it really mean more to him than you?"

"Yes, I think it does," Hermione replies simply.

Harry's eyes catch hers again, "Well then he really is the idiot I always thought he was because nothing in this world is more important than you, Hermione."

Hermione smiles slightly, "Nothing?"

"Nothing," Harry says honestly, his eyes firmly fixed on hers, "Not a stupid political campaign or Pansy bloody Parkinson. He has no idea what he's giving up."

Hermione sighs and glances down into the depths of her wine, "The truth is Harry, things worked between Draco and I for a while but they were never...well he was never you...and he always knew that."

"What do you mean?" Harry asks. Hermione can hear the hope in his voice and she is so afraid to look up and see it in those beautiful goddamned green eyes of this.

Hermione clears her throat and says, "Things got bad in these last few months when we tried new things after the old show got axed and truthfully it brought something to light that we had kept under the surface for years. Draco said he loved me and that he always would but he couldn't play second best to you anymore. He accused me of having an affair, and he was right."

"Who were you having an affair with?" Harry asks and Hermione can sense the confusion in his voice.

Hermione looks up into those mesmerizing eyes and simply says, "You."

Harry raises an eyebrow at her, "I'm pretty sure I'd have known about that."

"I didn't say it was physical," Hermione says with a slight smile, "But Draco knew it and I think we did too, deep down. We're more than friends but not quite lovers...in fact something Chelsea said a few weeks ago made it all make perfect sense. She said her Mum had a husband and a lover, and it was like the two men together made a whole marriage. Being married to Draco and working with you, somehow it made a whole marriage."

"What are you saying Hermione?" Harry asks, his voice so quiet it is barely a whisper.

Hermione smiles at Harry and it is a genuine smile, "I'm saying that part of me has always loved you Harry."

Harry stares at her in disbelief, "After all of these years?"

Hermione nods, "I've never quite been able to shake my feelings for you. But...now isn't the time to act on anything and I hope you understand that."

"You're in the middle of getting divorced," Harry says softly as he reaches across the table and takes her hand. Once more he entwines his fingers through hers and this time Hermione doesn't pull her hand away. His thumb gently caresses the gap between Hermione's thumb and forefinger, and she lets her eyes slip shut at the soothing motion.

"The divorce hasn't even been finalised yet," Hermione agrees quietly, "And the kids are so confused...not to mention me," Her eyes snap open and she meets Harry's, "I'm a wreck. I've been married for years and now I'm not...and I'm a single Mother too with a volatile teenager and... Scorpius."

"A volatile mini Draco Malfoy," Harry says with a slight smile, "I know it's hard Hermione but you'll be just fine for the same reasons that you always have been. You have good people around you, and you have me."

"I haven't had you before," Hermione says quietly, "In the war, I did. But after the war..."

Harry's eyes flash, "I'm sorry for everything Hermione. I wish I could go back and change it all...I wish the war had never happened, I wish they had never carved that _word_ onto your arm. I wish I could drown out your screams, but I can't. Every time I shut my eyes and try to sleep I hear it, I hear all of it."

Hermione tightens her grip on his hand, "But it doesn't make you drink anymore?"

Harry shakes his head, tears are burning behind his eyes but he refuses to let them fall, "When I came out of St. Mungo's that 5th time I was totally sober. I saw the photographs in the paper about your wedding to Malfoy...and I nearly drank that night. I thought about how miserable my life was going to be without you and then I finally realised that the reason I was without you was because I was an alcoholic. I went to Neville's and cried my eyes out that night, it was the first time I told anybody out loud that I was an alcoholic."

"After 4 years and 5 bouts of rehabilitation?" Hermione asks, a harshness in her voice, "I did everything for you Harry. I poured so much money and hope into the fact that you would get better and you never did. I was pregnant with his child, so I married Draco because it was the right thing to do."

Harry frowns down at his hands, "Those early days were a haze...the first few years were so hard when I stopped...it's easier now but there are still days when it's all I want."

Hermione studies him carefully, "Do you have any me idea what you put me through?"

"I'm sorry," Harry says again, "About everything, about the accidental magic and the...the times that I hurt you."

Hermione shakes her head, "No, that I could understand. You really couldn't control that and your guilt afterwards drove you to drink. That wasn't what I meant...I mean do you have any idea of the emotional damage that you did? I could only take it for so long, the constant hoping and then being let down. Draco was a saving grace to me in those early days because despite who he used to be, you got what you saw with him. He was comforting and caring, and he rebuilt me after you smashed me into a million pieces."

"You haven't forgiven me, have you?" Harry asks, his voice breaking as he unwittingly lets his tears fall, "You say you have, but you haven't."

Hermione frowns and stares down at the table as tears of her own threaten to fall, "I don't think I have completely forgiven you yet," She says honestly.

"I wish you had told me Hermione, about the divorce," Harry says softly, his hand still in hers.

"I'm sorry that I couldn't," Hermione says honestly, "But things were just so complicated with Draco's campaign and the kids...when I found out that Draco was having an affair...to be honest Harry, my life blew into a million pieces that night."

"And you needed some time alone to work through it," Harry says with a nod, "I know Hermione, I know you."

"I never wanted to drag you into it, Harry," Hermione says honestly, "But somehow it all ended up being about you, it always has been."

"Our lives have always been intertwined," Harry says with a sympathetic smile.

Hermione nods and sighs, "What am I going to do?"

"Soldier on," Harry says with a comforting smile, "It's all you can do. Work, provide, keep making those kids the happy, intelligent, amazing kids that they are."

Hermione smiles sleepily and gets to her feet, "I'm going to bed Harry. Thank you...for everything."

"You're welcome," Harry says softly, kissing her gently on the forehead. They walk from the balcony to the living area together and then Hermione opens the door to see Harry out.

He steps over the boundary and then he pauses and turns around, "I'm sorry Hermione. I'm sorry for everything that happened in the past and I know deep down that I don't deserve to be forgiven for any of it."

"Maybe you don't," Hermione agrees as she leans against the doorframe, "But that doesn't mean I won't forgive you anyway. Given a little more time."

Harry smiles slightly at her words and says, "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Harry," Hermione says softly as he heads to the room next door and Hermione shuts the door behind him quietly so as not to awaken her children.

* * *

"Do you feel better after your shouting match last night?" Hermione asks Cassie as the girl walks into the small living room area in her pyjamas.

Cassie jumps, she hasn't noticed her Mum sitting on the sofa with her arms crossed over her chest. She frowns, "No."

"You aren't a teenager yet, you know," Hermione reminds her.

"Maybe not, but my life does kind of suck right now," Cassie remarks as she sits down heavily next to her Mum.

"You think your life sucks because your Dad and I are getting divorced?" Hermione asks with a raised eyebrow, "Cass, when I was your age I had no friends, in fact everybody hated me. You have a little brother who adores you and lots of friends. You have a huge family, you have me and your Dad, and your Uncle Harry."

"He's not even my real Uncle," Cassie says, "He's just your best friend, so why does he act like he's family?"

"Because he is," Hermione says simply, "He loves you. He's been around since you were tiny, he's never missed a birthday or a Christmas you know."

Cassie sighs, "I'll say sorry to him."

"Is all of this anger because of the divorce or because of what your Dad did?" Hermione asks Cassie, "Because whatever it is I want to nip it in the bud before it gets you in trouble at Hogwarts."

"I just don't understand why he hurt you Mum," Cassie admits.

"He didn't do what he did to hurt me Cassie," Hermione says gently, "He did it because he met somebody else who became important to him. He couldn't help that and when you are a little older you will understand that we don't get to pick who we have feelings for."

"Have you ever loved somebody apart from Dad?" Cassie asks curiously.

"Once," Hermione says with a thoughtful look on her face as she pushes herself to her feet, "But that's not important. I'll tell you what is important, you and your brother getting dressed so we can have a day at the beach. I've got to write with Chelsea all day tomorrow and then it's the big day for Dad on Monday."

Cassie scoffs, "He's not going to win the election Mum. Not after what you told us last night."

"I know," Hermione says honestly, "But he's your Dad and when you talk to him on the floo later you have to at least pretend to be excited or hopeful for him."

"I'll try," Cassie says dryly.

 **TBC :)  
**


	13. Bad Blood

**Fade Into You**

 **Chapter 13 - Bad Blood  
**

"Did you leak the news about the divorce and the affair to the Prophet?"

"Are you seriously asking me that?" Hermione asks angrily.

"Well you were the only person who knew apart from the kids and Theo," Draco says, glaring at her through the fire, "And Merlin knows you don't want me to be Minister!"

"You're right, I don't," Hermione spits, "But I didn't leak the news because _I_ was the one who had to tell our children last night that you don't love me anymore because you are with somebody else. I had to put up with Cassie's temper and Scorpius's tears and you didn't even call to tell me about the story! I had to hear it from Neville who was worried about the kids seeing the papers!"

"Don't even get me started on Longbottoms feelings on the matter," Draco bites angrily, "He swung by to give me a piece of his mind earlier, and a piece of his fist."

"Good!" Hermione snaps, "Somebody needed to because you are being a selfish bastard. The suffering your children are going through because of _your_ mistakes doesn't seem to concern you at all. All you care about is this stupid campaign that you are going to lose!"

"No thanks to you!" Draco spits.

"You cheated on me Draco," Hermione says coolly, "This marriage fell apart because of you, not because of me. And if you have nothing else to say, I think I'll be going now!"

Before Draco has the chance to say anything more Hermione cuts the floo call short and blows out a sigh of relief that the children are downstairs having dinner with Harry. Sebastian has called an emergency meeting with her and has requested that the kids not be here so she has met his request.

Shortly after her disastrous floo call with Draco there is a knock on the door and Sebastian lets himself in. Hermione pulls herself up and tries to look better than she feels as she fakes a smile, "Hey Seb."

"You look like shit," Sebastian says matter of factly, "I'm guessing that means the divorce/affair story is true."

"It's true," Hermione says as she sinks into the sofa, "And I had a feeling that this meeting was about that."

"Well you know we need to address this with the press," Sebastian says grimly, "Even if you don't want to. At the moment it looks like you are the poor, grieving wife while Draco swans about as if nothing has happened. You need to give a statement."

"Not right now I don't," Hermione says as she shuts her eyes and feels a migraine coming on, "At the moment I have to get the kids through the bloody election on Monday. Then I have to get them home to England. I won't even think about giving a statement until after then."

"Perfect," Sebastian says, "Because one of the ways I thought you could give that statement is to be a guest on a chat show."

Hermione frowns and looks up at her manager, "What one?"

"Well Chelsea's is on a break for the QWC obviously," Sebastian says offhandedly, "But there are plenty more. Witching Hour wants you for their lunchtime show on Wednesday."

"Lunch with the Witches?" Hermione grimaces, "That show where they sit in comfortable chairs and gossip while they drink tea and eat macaroons?"

"I know you hate it," Sebastian admits, "But it's great for publicity and it's worked well for you in the past. You could get your side of the story out and it would be good promotion for the show too with tomorrow being our last pre-coverage show before the tournament begins."

"Fine," Hermione admits grudgingly, "I'll do it."

"You're a star," Sebastian says with a smile, "All you have to do is grin and bear it for an hour."

"Easier said than done," Hermione mutters, "Have you been on that show?"

Sebastian hides an amused smile and jots something down, "Alright then. I have to ask Hermione, as your friend rather than your manager, are you alright?"

Hermione smiles at his genuine concern, "As alright as I can be considering the fact that _everyone_ is right. I did marry a vain, sleazy Slytherin bastard."

Sebastian grimaces, "Bad question, I guess."

"I'm going to have to get used to answering it now that the divorce is common knowledge," Hermione says truthfully, "And I can't be that honest on chat shows."

"Not live lunchtime ones anyway," Sebastian says with a wink, "Give me a call if you need anything, anything at all. Alright?"

"Alright Seb, thanks," Hermione says with a smile as he lets himself out of her hotel room. She is glad of something, the divorce announcement has shown her who her real friends are, those who cared enough to call and say that they were sorry. She'd had a very long floo call with Hannah late the night before which had left Hermione feeling a lot better, and Ron had floo-ed this morning too to say he was sorry that he had been proven right. Neville's assault of Draco makes her smile too, she could have sworn that Neville was as much a Hufflepuff as a Gryffindor with loyalty like that.

* * *

The rest of that weekend passes far too quickly and before Hermione knows it Monday is upon them. She finds herself sitting in her hotel room with the kids, listening to the radio announce the final result.

"And after a close campaign, the Minister for Magic that the Wizengamot has elected is...Percy Weasley, our reigning Minister for Magic!"

Hermione smiles slightly and Scorpius actually cheers, "Maybe Dad will be nicer now he isn't Minister."

"Maybe," Cassie says, although she doesn't sound anywhere near as convinced as her brother.

Hermione yawns, she had barely slept the night before from worrying about seeing Draco again today. She had agreed with Draco to take the kids back to England before the final pre-cup show tonight. After this Monday show, she will have almost a week off until the first game on Saturday and then the coverage begins.

"Is it time to go home, Mum?" Scorpius asks as Hermione stands up and turns the radio off.

"It is," Hermione says, grabbing the kid's suitcases, "But don't worry about not seeing me. I'll be dropping you back in England with your Dad and coming back here for the final show. But after that I'll be back in England until Friday night."

They nod silently, and Hermione takes this as 'Okay Mum'. She resists the urge to roll her eyes as she takes them to the apparition centre and they wait in an awkward sort of silence in the waiting room. She apparates with them to England and it is there where they meet up with Draco.

"Dad!" Scorpius shouts, running over and jumping up to hug his Father the moment he sees him.

Draco laughs and picks his son up, "Hey Scorp! I missed you."

"I missed you too," Scorpius says and Draco puts the boy down and ruffles his hair.

Cassie is not so welcoming. She walks over to Draco and stares at him, without saying a word. Draco frowns, "Where's my hug, Cass?"

"I don't feel like hugging you," Cassie says, crossing her arms, "I don't even want to be here. I want to live in Australia with Mum and Uncle Harry."

"If you lived in Australia you couldn't go to Hogwarts," Draco points out.

Cassie shrugs, "At least when I go to Hogwarts I won't have to see you. I think I'll start counting down the days on my calendar."

"Cassiopeia," Hermione says in an undertone, "I understand that you are upset right now, but don't do this here. When you get home, talk to your Dad, let him explain."

"Fine," Cassie says as she hugs her Mother.

Hermione kisses her on the cheek and hugs Scorpius, "Be good for your Dad, _both_ of you,' she says, looking specifically at Cassie, "I'll see you again soon."

With another couple of kisses on the cheek or forehead and another hug or two Hermione heads back into the apparition centre and lets Draco take the kids home.

* * *

"How are you?"

Hermione is expecting the question from Harry. She has been expecting it from the moment she walked into the studio that afternoon. She has managed to last until 6pm without his questioning but she knows she can't escape it forever.

"I'm fine," Hermione lies.

"I know when you're fine," Harry says with a raised eyebrow, "You're not fine, Hermione."

Hermione shoots her friend a glance and says, "Harry, Cassie hates her Father. How do you think I am? She actually said to him that she wished she could live in Australia with me and her Uncle Harry."

Harry scoffs, "How did Malfoy take that?"

"Better than I thought," Hermione says with a sigh, "He doesn't even seem angry anymore. He just seems sad...and resigned."

"Like he lost everything for nothing?" Harry asks with a pointed look.

"Exactly like that," Hermione says, "But he's going to have to come to terms with this new life we're all carving out for ourselves here. All of us are and that's Cassie included. She can't just act out because of our divorce, other children have had to go through far worse things at her age without acting out."

"You're looking at me?" Harry asks in surprise, "I don't know, I'd say I acted out quite a lot in 1st year..."

"You were a smarmy little pain in the arse," Hermione agrees with a slight smile, "But I wouldn't say you acted out. Not like Cassie is, she's hurting everybody around her, she's pushing us all out"

"I'm sure it's just a phase," Harry says hopefully.

Hermione doesn't look so convinced but she nods all the same, "Maybe," She says quietly.

She is glad that Harry seems to drop the subject there and she focuses her energies on the final pre-cup show. They soar through the rehearsal and before they know it, they are on air.

"Hello and welcome to a very special episode of QWC weekly!" Hermione says brightly.

"This is our final pre-cup show," Chelsea continues, "So when you tune in next week, we will be looking at some real action!"

"Joining us today are some of the brightest new players that we will be watching next week," Hermione continues, "Our first guest definitely falls into that category. It's Gabrielle Delacour, a seeker for the Parisian Parakeets and the French National Team!"

Gabrielle walks out into the studio, still looking like the spitting image of her older sister. She smiles at them all and waves at the 'camera' before sitting down on the sofa.

"Thanks for having me, Hermione," Gabrielle says with a captivating smile.

"Thanks for coming on the show," Hermione replies, "You've come a long way today with the cup starting in under a week."

Gabrielle smiles, "Well I happened to be quite intrigued by this show when I was speaking to my sister-in-law about it. A show all about the Quidditch world cup, being hosted by two women. It's such a wonderful thing, this sort of thing never happens on French radio."

Harry cuts in from his side of the studio, "That's because in Britain the men know that the women are the bosses and we say no more about it."

"Exactly," Gabrielle chuckles.

Hermione laughs too, "We do have to ask you about the French team, of course."

"Of course," Gabrielle smiles, "We qualified 5th this year which we were proud of."

"It's always around 4th or 5th with France," Hermione agrees, "You are very consistent and consistently good too. How do you think you'll fare this cup?"

"Well I think we could do very well," Gabrielle says honestly, "I can say that without cursing the team as you say in England, I believe?"

"Yes," Hermione chuckles, "In England we think that if we talk about England doing well it will curse the team and they will be knocked out very early on."

"Ah, I see," Gabrielle says, "Well we have no such belief in France. Practically speaking we should win against India. They qualified 12th and have notoriously had problems related to cheating charges in Quidditch. After that we play Ireland and if we are going to run into problems that's when I think. I think Ireland are going to be the...underdogs, you say?"

"Underdogs, yes," Chelsea says with a smile, "And I think you might be right Gabrielle. I'm biased of course but my home team do seem to be a force to be reckoned with this year."

Gabrielle nods, "Their seeker is very good. He's fast and clever, personally speaking I think he's going to be my biggest challenge."

Hermione nods, "But you do have a life outside Quidditch. You model for _Quidditch Magazine_ in your spare time and I believe that's how you met your husband?"

Gabrielle laughs again, "Yes, Dennis is a photographer for Quidditch Magazine. He photographed me for most of the shoots and one day we got talking. We just married in the Spring."

"Is there anything to the rumours that you will be retiring soon, possibly to start a family?" Hermione asks.

Gabrielle smiles softly, "This will be my last Quidditch World Cup, yes."

Chelsea's eyes widen, "Is this an exclusive?"

Gabrielle nods, still smiling, "Yes, it is. I am nearing 30 now and while I love Quidditch, I would love to have a family more. So yes, the rumours are true. I will still seek for the Parakeets but this is my last international cup."

"Then we wish you the very best," Hermione says with a genuine smile, "For your last ever international Quidditch cup, and for your future family."

Harry nods and says, "We'll be rooting for France with you playing Gabby, and that's a first."

Gabrielle laughs, "If I have managed to break the rivalry between England and France tonight then I feel very pleased," she jokes.

Hermione laughs too, "Thanks for talking to us Gabrielle. Chelsea, who else is joining Gabrielle on the sofa tonight?"

Chelsea takes over, "Well Hermione, we have Astoria Greengrass here with us tonight. Astoria was one of England's star chasers until she retired last year but she's still very much a part of the Quidditch world in England. She writes a column for Quidditch weekly and she manages the Wimbourne Wasps!"

Astoria steps out into the studio and like Gabrielle smiles and waves. She is the complete opposite of Gabrielle. She has dark brown hair and hazel eyes but she is very pretty like her elder sister Daphne.

"Thanks for joining us here in Australia Astoria," Chelsea says conversationally.

Astoria smiles at the younger woman, "Thank you for inviting me on the show. It's an absoloute pleasure to be here."

"And it's an absoloute pleasure to have you here," Chelsea says, "You know what the first question out of my mouth is going to be though, don't you?

Astoria laughs, "When's the wedding?"

"Exactly," Chelsea smiles, "Everyone is wondering when the Quidditch world's power couple is going to tie the knot."

"Everyone has been wondering for years," Astoria laughs, "The only difference is that Charlie has actually proposed now."

"And knowing Charlie, I suppose you're no closer to setting a date," Harry pipes up with a grin.

"Exactly," Astoria smiles, "All Charlie knows is that his older brother is going to be his best man, the wedding is going to be Quidditch themed and the honeymoon is going to be in Romania."

"It's always about dragons with Charlie, isn't it?" Harry jokes.

Astoria rolls her eyes, "Tell me about it."

Hermione chuckles and Chelsea gets back to the story, "It was quite a scandal when you and Charlie Weasley first got together though."

"That all seems so long ago now," Astoria says with a shake of her head, "Charlie was the coach for England when I was just starting out as a chaser for the team so the press made it all into a big scandal when we were first spotted out together. The 10-year age gap put a lot of people off too."

"Well the age gap tends to matter less as you get older, doesn't it?" Chelsea asks.

Astoria nods, "When we first met it seemed bad. I was 23 and Charlie was 33. But 32 and 42? It's not quite so scandalous is it?"

"Not at all," Chelsea says, "It's been almost 10 years now though, it took him long enough to pop the question. The next thing will be kids."

Astoria laughs and looks down at her stomach, she is obviously pregnant, "Yes, the wedding probably should have come before this one but knowing Charlie I doubt that will happen. This one is going to be about 5 before he eventually picks a date."

Astoria's comment sends laughter around the studio and Chelsea says, "We should probably ask you about your bets for this year's cup. Do you think England will do it?"

"Well Gabrielle pointed it out earlier," Astoria says, "I'm English so if I say yes I'll curse England. Therefore, I'm going to say no, England will be terrible this year and we have no chance of winning."

"Reverse psychology," Hermione laughs, "I like it."

"One final question for you then Astoria," Chelsea says, "Who do you think is going to be in the final?"

Astoria grimaces slightly as she says, "I'm going to be really boring and say...England and Australia."

Chelsea laughs, "Thanks very much for joining us Astoria. We're going to take a short advert break but when we come back Harry will be interviewing prominent Quidditch commentator James Warner."

"And Oliver will be chatting with the Manager of the Appleby Arrows, Justin Finch-Fletchley," Hermione finishes as they go to an ad break.

When the light begins to flash to signal the ad break, Gabrielle asks Astoria, "How far along are you?"

"6 months," Astoria replies, "But with a Weasley child, it feels more like 8."

Gabrielle laughs, "My sister always said that. She's had three Weasley children, all huge babies."

Harry sniggers as he gets up and pours himself a glass of water from the dispenser in the studio, "Poor Alicia had four kids with Ron."

"It's times like this when I'm very glad Ron and I didn't end up together like everyone thought we would," Hermione jokes.

Astoria chuckles, "Two perfect births I imagine? The Malfoys are known for it."

"Known for what, ease of childbirth?" Harry asks in amusement.

Astoria nods, "Essentially. Grace during childbirth, it's a Malfoy trait."

"Well not with my first," Hermione replies, "I was in labour for 32 hours with Cassie but my second was a breeze. I was barely in labour for 2 hours when Scorpius was born."

"Well Cassie always has been more awkward," Harry jokes, sitting back down in his armchair, "So I guess she does take after her Father after all."

Hermione smiles weakly, "My eldest is trouble at the moment, that much is true. She's just at that Hogwarts age."

"Oh yeah," Astoria grimaces, "Have fun with that."

Hermione chuckles as the light begins to flash once more as they come back on air.

"Hello and welcome back to QWC weekly," Chelsea says, "If you have just tuned in then you are just in time to see Harry interview James Warner."

Harry takes over, "Yes, James Warner is famous for being a Quidditch commentating legend. He's Australian and this is his home turf!"

James Warner steps out into the studio. He looks to be somewhere between 60 and 70, like most Australian men he is tanned and looks younger than his years. He waves and sits down on the sofa which Gabrielle and Astoria no longer occupy.

"Thank you so much for joining us today," Harry says with genuine admiration, "It's an honour to have you here."

James laughs, "An honour? Don't be daft mate, I'm just a commentator."

"A legend," Harry corrects, "You have commentated on every big international game for the past 40 years."

"And I'll keep doing it until they kick me out," James says, "I get paid to watch Quidditch and talk about it. I'll keep doing that for as long as I can."

"And I don't blame you at all," Harry says with a smile, "You must have some stories to tell though."

"Oh I have a lot of stories son," James jokes, "What sort do you want to hear?"

Harry laughs, "What have been some of your favourite commentating moments over the years?"

"I have loads," James admits, "Far too many to recount them all in one short interview."

"I do have a personal favourite," Harry says, "The 2006 Quidditch world cup final. You were announcing the line-up of the Welsh team and you said, the beaters Holden, the seekers Cox."

James laughs, "Which is fine until you say it quickly."

"I couldn't stop laughing at that one, I must admit," Harry says.

"I have a personal favourite too," Hermione cuts in, "It was the 2002 semi-final. Spain were playing France and you were reporting live from the game. I was doing the evening news at the time and I cut to you at the game for the score. Do you remember this?"

James nods in amusement, "Yes Hermione, I do remember. You said at the time I wouldn't live it down and you meant it didn't you?"

"I think she did," Chelsea grins, "Because we went through the radio archives and found the audio clip that Hermione is referring to. Shall we listen to it?"

"Oh yes," Harry grins.

James shakes his head, somewhere between amused and embarrassed. The audio clip begins to play, starting out with Hermione's voice.

" _And now we're going to go to James Warner who is watching this semi-final live in France. James, can you hear us?"_

" _I can hear you Hermione,"_ James voice says.

" _So there's been a Spanish player sent off James, but who?"_

James hides his face in his hands as his voice says, " _Has there? I must have missed that? Someone was sent off?"_

Hermione can be heard laughing in the clip, _"Haven't you been watching the game, James?"_

James laughs, _"I did see him go off, but I thought they were subbing him for another player."_

" _Well according to our sources, Miguel Esposito was sent off for an offence,"_ Hermione says.

" _I'm sorry Hermione, but I totally missed that."_

The clip ends and James looks mortified, "Commentating legend, you say?"

"Those are the moments that make you a legend James," Harry chuckles, "But on a more topical note. What are your bets for this cup?"

"Well we're going to kick your arse, clearly," James says matter of factly.

"You think it's going to be an England vs Australia final?" Harry asks.

"I hope so," James admits, "It would be fitting with us co-hosting the cup this year."

"And you're sure Australia would win in that showdown?" Harry challenges.

"I'm hopeful, not sure," James says with a grin, "But we do have a very promising team. Whatever the outcome, it's going to be a damn good cup to watch."

"That it is," Harry agrees with a smile, "Thanks again for joining us today James."

James just smiles in response and control is passed to Hermione momentarily, "We're handing over to Oliver now in England."

She does her nifty little charm and Oliver's face appears on the studio wall behind them. He is standing under an umbrella again as the rain drizzles down.

"Hello to my suntanned colleagues," Oliver jokes, "I really did draw the short straw here. But I do have the pleasure of being joined in this horrible weather by Justin Finch-Fletchley. He started off as a seeker for Puddlemere and then he played for England. He's now managing the Appleby Arrows who have gifted a chaser and a beater to the England team this year. Welcome Justin."

Justin smiles, "Thanks very much Oliver."

"The first question on my lips has to be, are you rooting for your boys?" Oliver asks.

"Very much so," Justin admits, "I'm proud of every player that I manage but it is a good feeling when players are selected for England. I'm sure that they are going to be brilliant and I can't wait to watch them in action."

"You've been working with the England coach to train them, haven't you?" Oliver asks.

Justin nods, "I have and it's been a whole different experience. The England team are very intense compared to the Arrows. We have a very relaxed, fun approach to Quidditch."

"Apart from when you're playing your sworn enemies, Puddlemere," Oliver jokes.

"Yeah," Justin laughs, "And I'm caught right in the middle of that because I played for Puddlemere before I decided to manage the Arrows."

"Traitor," One of the Arrows players calls from the pitch in the background.

"That's the kind of atmosphere you can expect around here," Justin laughs, glancing behind him at the player.

"So, how do you think England will fare?"

"Well, I hope," Justin says honestly, "If we make it to the final, and I stress the if, we'll have a real challenge against Australia."

"We would indeed," Oliver agrees, "Are you in agreement with everyone else here in thinking it's going to be an England vs Australia final?"

"I'm actually going to throw out a different opinion," Justin admits, "They are the underdogs this year and I have learned to never underestimate the underdog so I think it might be an England vs Ireland final."

"Interesting," Oliver says with a smile, "Well thank you for talking to us tonight Justin."

"My pleasure," Justin says honestly.

"I'll hand back over to Hermione in the studio now," Oliver says, smiling at the 'camera'. They cut back to Hermione and then to an ad break.

After the ad break they finish the show off with challenges as usual. This time Harry and Oliver's technical challenge is a case of who can hang upside down on their broomstick for longest while being bombarded with bludgers. Harry wins and Oliver gets a black eye.

Chelsea and Hermione have fun with their challenge that week. It is a mini game derived from Dodgeball which has been Quidditchified. Hermione enjoys it all the more because of the fact that she wins it. The scoreboards are looking pretty even thus far.

* * *

When the show is finally wrapped up, Hermione leaves the studio in a hurry, mostly to avoid Harry and his persistent questions but also because she needs to get home. She is exhausted by the time she manages to get through the apparition centre but 11.30pm Australia time is 2.30pm British time. She and the kids had listened to the election result that afternoon which had been 6am British time because the votes had been counted and verified overnight. By the time Hermione drags herself into the house that she still shares with Draco it is nearly midnight by her body clock.

"Are you alright?" Draco asks her in a whisper from the armchair he is resting in.

"I'm exhausted," Hermione says with a sigh, "Damn time differences. Where are the kids?"

"Asleep, the time difference has made their body clock go out of whack," Draco says quietly.

"Did Cassie apologise?" Hermione asks Draco, biting her lip anxiously.

"Not in so many words," Draco says half-heartedly, "She seems pretty keen on Potter all of a sudden."

"Don't even go there," Hermione says darkly, "She's been making odd comments recently about Harry. You don't think she knows, do you?"

"How can she?" Draco asks, "I would never tell her."

"No, neither would I," Hermione says honestly, sinking into the armchair next to Draco's.

"I spoke to Theo today about the leak. Their offices were broken into and the divorce file was stolen," Draco says with a dark look her way, "Luckily for us, they keep the private documentation somewhere else. So they found out about the divorce but not about Cassie."

"Thank Merlin," Hermione sighs, "All I want to do is protect her and Scorpius from all of this."

"I want the same thing," Draco says honestly, "And I want to rebuild what I seem to have broken in the last few months."

"It's a bit late for that," Hermione points out.

"I don't mean our marriage," Draco says with a frown, "I think we both knew that was going to crash down one day, it was just a matter of when. No, I mean with the kids."

"Scorpius adores you, he's just angry that you have missed out on things that are important to him, like his Quidditch games." Hermione tells him, "But Cassie is old enough to understand what you did, she's old enough to be hurt by it."

"What am I supposed to do, Hermione?" Draco asks helplessly.

"All you can do is try and repair what you broke, Draco," Hermione says honestly, "And it will take time for her to forgive you, but she will. You're her Father after all."

Draco's eyes flash at those words but he says no more about it. Instead he clears his throat and asks, "How long will you be staying for?"

"Until early on Friday," Hermione replies, "I have to talk to Hannah...and make a statement about our divorce. Can you believe Seb convinced me to go on that bloody show, _Lunch with the Witches_?"

Draco scoffs, "You must be desperate to release a statement."

"No, Seb is desperate for me to release a statement," Hermione says, rolling her eyes, "He thinks it's important that I get my side of the story out."

"Do you think we can salvage a friendship from this marriage, Hermione?" Draco asks with a frown.

"Eventually," Hermione says honestly, "But at the moment Draco, I'm so angry about the situation you put me and our children in. I'm angry that I had to tell them about your affair, that it was all left up to me while you sat here and worried about the election. And I'm not going to get over that quickly."

"I understand," Draco says with a nod, "But you will agree to joint custody?"

"Of course I will," Hermione says softly, "They are your children as well as mine. I'm not going to take them away from you."

"Thank you," Draco says, his eyes are bloodshot and he looks exhausted.

"I'm going to bed, it's after midnight as far as my body is concerned," Hermione says as she gets to her feet, "I suggest you do something similar. You look like you haven't slept all night."

"I didn't," Draco says as he stares into the fireplace, "But I'm not tired yet. I'll be fine, go to sleep Hermione. I'll sort the kids out tomorrow."

"Are you sure?" Hermione asks.

"I'm sure," Draco replies softly, and already Hermione can see that he is getting back to the man he had been before this crazy idea of his Mothers had taken hold.

She nods and kisses him on the cheek, "Goodnight Draco," She says simply as she ascends the stairs.

* * *

Hermione spends most of Tuesday sleeping, and in the gaps where she is awake she is glad to hear laughter coming from outside of her window. When she eventually wakes up around midday and opens the curtains she realises that the laughter is coming from the children and Draco. They are all out there on their brooms flying around the huge back garden. For the first time her heart aches a little as she smiles at her family, only they aren't a family anymore, at least not in the way they had been.

When Draco had been an ignorant nightmare things had been easier. Hermione had been reminded of who he had been _before_ that day in Inverness. She had been reminded of how cruel and cold and calculating he could be. In fact, the whole thing had shown her quite how bad he was for her. But in a lot of ways he is a good man and a good Father. Hermione had forgotten that along the way and as she stands and watches him with the children she is reminded of why she fell in love with him. He has made sacrifices that no man should have to make and he has made those sacrifices for her. He has raised another man's child as his own, he has raised Harry Potter's child as if she was his. Hermione has always admired his integrity for that and it still amazes her that he doesn't love Cassie any less for it. Her life has become a mess and in this moment she longs for the happy, simplicity she has often shared with Draco.

All the same, Hermione has to pull herself away from those thoughts because there is no going back now. The divorce will be finalised today, or in the early hours of tomorrow. And she will have to talk about it on the radio, it is final. She dresses quickly and leaves the house for Hannah's. She knows that Tuesdays are Hannah's days off and she is praying that Neville is keeping an eye on the kids today.

 _Knock. Knock._

Hannah pulls the door back and raises an eyebrow at Hermione, "Neville has the kids up at Hogwarts. Yes, you better come in and tell me what's been going on."

Hermione sighs at how predictable she is and steps into the house. She and Hannah sit down in the living room and Hannah conjures up some tea which begins to make itself. As it pours and stirs noisily Hannah fixes Hermione with a look that says without saying, 'come on then, tell all.'

"I think Cassie and Harry suspect something," Hermione says as she chews on her lip.

Hannah frowns, "Are you sure you aren't just paranoid?"

"I don't know, maybe I am," Hermione says as she shuts her eyes tightly, "But they have both been coming out with all of these odd little comments lately, like they know something!"

"What kind of comments?" Hannah asks calmly.

"Cassie said that she thought her Uncle Harry would be a better Dad than Draco," Hermione says with a shake of her head, "And Harry had this whole enlightened moment in Sydney...he said that Scorp was a mini Draco and Cassie a mini me. He was going on about how he had no idea how Cassie had none of Draco in her."

"Hermione they don't know," Hannah says as she grabs her friend's hand, "I mean how can they?"

"They can't," Hermione says, aware of how paranoid she sounds, "Hardly anybody knows. There is no way they can know...but I'm starting to think Harry suspects something."

"How can he suspect something if he doesn't even remember that night?" Hannah asks logically.

"It's just that all of the similarities are becoming so obvious as Cassie is getting older!" Hermione exclaims as she gets to her feet and begins to pace the living room, "Especially her goddamn temper, she flies off the handle and cools right back down _just_ like Harry! And we took the kids to a theme park in Sydney and Cassie was running around going on every adrenaline pumping ride there with Harry. He kept saying how brave she was and that she was a Gryffindor through and through...do you think he suspects something?"

"Honestly Hermione, I don't think so," Hannah says calmly, "Harry is pretty clueless. The possibility probably hasn't even crossed his mind. Cassie on the other hand, well she's far too smart. If anybody is going to figure anything out it will be her."

"That's what I'm afraid of," Hermione admits, "She actually said to Draco yesterday that she wished she could live in Australia with Harry and I."

"What are you and Harry?" Hannah asks bluntly, "Taking the kids out together in Sydney? Are you sure this isn't an affair?"

"Nothing has happened," Hermione says firmly, "At least not physically. I practically admitted that I still cared about him but he knows things are hard right now. I'm in the middle of a divorce, the last thing I need is my complicated relationship with Harry to make things any _more_ complicated."

Hannah sighs, "But Hermione, you have to face the fact that once this has settled down a little you and Harry might well rekindle your old feelings for each other. How can you be with him and keep Cassie a secret?"

"I don't know," Hermione says as the tears begin to fell, "I don't think that I can. Merlin Hannah, I'm so conflicted! There is this part of me that wants to be with Harry more than anything else but then this other part says that I can't be because I have to protect Cassie!"

"You don't have to pick, Hermione," Hannah says firmly, "You could tell them. You could tell them both the truth."

Hermione's tears fall faster and harder, "How can I do that Hannah? How do I turn around after 12 years and tell Harry that Cassie is his daughter?"

"I don't know Hermione," Hannah replies honestly.

* * *

"And we are now joined by our _very_ special guest, Hermione Granger! She is of course a huge radio star and she's here today to give us an exclusive!"

Hermione takes a deep breath and straightens up her blouse. She steps out into the studio with its small live audience. This is another show that has been launched on the Visual Radio platform so she smiles and waves at the wall with the recording charm on it as she sits down on a bright pink armchair and is handed a mug of tea with her name written across the front of it.

"Thanks for joining us today Hermione," The leader of 'The Witches', Debra McGee says to her cheerfully.

"I'm happy to be here Debra," Hermione lies with an easy smile. The other 3 Witches consist of Rachael Long, Barbara Jackson, and much to Hermione's disdain, Rita Skeeter.

"You know the first thing we have to ask you about, right?" Barbara asks with a sympathetic look.

Hermione nods, "Yes, the rumours are true. Myself and Draco Malfoy are indeed in the middle of a divorce," She says, glancing down at her ring finger which is currently bare.

There are sighs and gasps in the audience, and Hermione refrains from looking over at them. Rita shakes her head and says, "It's a terrible scandal my dear. The affair must have been very hard for you."

Hermione bites back an insult and nods. She looks up at the women and says, "It was. It hurt of course, but it was harder on the children than on myself. It's very hard to explain to an 8 and 10-year-old that their Father doesn't love their Mother anymore because he loves somebody else."

Debra nods sadly, "Of course it is. Are you and Draco still on good terms or has this left things frosty?"

"Things are as civil as they can be, given the situation," Hermione says honestly.

"We have to ask. Does this divorce have anything to do with your longstanding relationship with Harry Potter? You worked together throughout your entire marriage, and now you are co-hosting on the radio again."

This awkward, bitchy question comes from the lips of Rita Skeeter, obviously.

Hermione quickly counts to 10 in her head before answering the question. She sucks in a breath and blows it out, "Harry and I are best friends and have been for years. Working with him had nothing to do with the divorce. It was my husband who had an affair Rita, not me. Harry is like an Uncle to my children, our lives have always been very intertwined."

Rachael is nodding, "You are clearly very close. We all saw the pictures in this morning's Prophet after all."

Hermione frowns slightly as these pictures flash up on a projector-like screen, like the one they use in the studio to communicate with Oliver. There are pictures of Harry and Cassie laughing together, pictures of Hermione, Harry, Cassie and Scorpius coming out of the funhouse together. Pictures of them all eating ice creams and sitting on a wooden table somewhere in the theme park.

She swallows and says, "I hadn't seen those pictures actually. But yes, like I said Harry is like an Uncle to the children. I hate theme parks and he loves them, so I asked for his help that day."

"You almost look like a family yourselves," Rita says with a wicked smirk.

Hermione clears her throat, "Well we are not. And I don't like what you are insinuating, Rita."

"Alright, no cattiness here ladies," Debra says brightly, but it is a warning and it is aimed more at Rita than Hermione, "What is the next step now for you Hermione?"

"Well I'm trying to find my place in the world again," Hermione replies honestly, "Coming out of a 12-year marriage as a single Mother is scary. I'm grateful that Draco is so devoted to the kids but things are very different now. Of course I'm going to continue working with Chelsea Clifton on the QWC which will be exciting on Saturday as it gets underway."

"It certainly will be," Barbara says, "We heard reports that Chelsea Clifton was a nightmare off-air. Can you shed any light on that?"

Hermione smiles slightly, "She has a slight edge to her. But she's not a diva at all, we co-write all of the shows together and she is an incredibly talented young presenter. I love working with her and we get on very well both on-air and off-air."

The show continues much in that vain for the next half an hour and Hermione is grateful that Rita doesn't mention Harry again. Truthfully it could have been a lot worse than it is and Sebastian is clearly happy from the hug he gives her when she comes off air.

"What next?" Sebastian asks her as they walk through Hyde Park with coffees in their hands.

"The QWC I suppose," Hermione sighs, "I'll have to apparate back to Australia on Friday. Tomorrow I'm going to have to talk to Cassie and tell her she can't hate her Father..."

"How are you coping?" Sebastian asks.

"Okay, considering everything," Hermione says honestly.

"I've got to ask, is there any truth to the Prophet story about you and Harry?" Sebastian asks with a grimace as he anticipates her answer.

"Yes," Hermione replies honestly rather than biting back, "Harry and I have a complicated relationship Seb, you know that. Part of me will always love him and he's been my rock through all of this."

Sebastian hums thoughtfully, "I'm not here to judge Hermione, I'm here to manage. So I'll give you a little bit of advice, be careful. You heard Skeeter today, the journalists are going to jump on you for anything at the moment. Let them think of you as the victim for a little while longer."

"I'm in no state to even think about another relationship," Hermione says with a weak laugh, "I just came out of a 12-year marriage Seb. Don't worry about me."

Sebastian smiles, "I'll try not to. I've got to get back to Australia to help with the set-up. Things are getting pretty hectic over there and Chelsea's at the centre of a big news story _again_."

"What's she done this time?" Hermione asks in surprise, this is the first she has heard about any scandal.

"She slept with Mitchell Clarke," Sebastian sighs, "Who is of course married so it's a big scandal and her manager is going crazy about it. It's all over the papers in Australia and they're calling to get her removed from the show. Trust me, you don't want to be in Australia right now."

Hermione rolls her eyes at Chelsea's stupidity and says, "Thanks for the heads up Seb. I'll see you Friday."

"See you Friday," Sebastian agrees, kissing her on the cheek and disappearing from view.

 **TBC :)  
**


	14. Quidditch Mania

**Fade Into You**

 **Chapter 14 - Quidditch Mania  
**

"You and I need to have a few words before I leave," Hermione says, catching her daughter in the library.

Cassie rolls her eyes and shuts her book, "I said sorry to Dad."

"You didn't mean it though, did you?" Hermione counters, crossing her arms and staring her daughter down.

"I don't hate him," Cassie says, "But he's an idiot and I'm still angry at him. You did say to Scorpius that we could be angry at Dad so long as we don't hate him."

Hermione narrows her eyes at Cassie, "I know I did. But that doesn't mean you can treat him like this. He's not an idiot Cassie, he's your Father."

"Yes, he is," Cassie scoffs, "I heard you and Uncle Harry talking about him in Australia. You both said he was an idiot and that he always had been."

"What did I tell you about eavesdropping on adult conversations?" Hermione scolds the 10-year-old.

Cassie shrugs, "You were talking loudly."

Hermione sighs, "I know things are hard right now with the divorce Cass but your Dad loves you. You can't keep hurting him like this."

"Why not? He hurts us all of the time!" Cassie exclaims, "He tried to be Minister and stopped caring about all of us! And then he left you for that horrible Pansy woman! And now he thinks it's all going to go back to normal like none of that happened? He _is_ an idiot!"

Hermione looks at her sympathetically, "I know how you feel and honestly, you are right to feel that way. Your Dad has hurt you, he's hurt all of us but he is still your Dad Cassie and with me gone...I need you to keep an eye on your brother. How are you going to do that if all you are doing is fighting with your Dad?"

Cassie scrunches up her face in irritation, "Fine, I'll pretend I like him! But it's not real!"

"That's good enough for the moment," Hermione says half-heartedly, "Because I have to go back to Australia today."

"I know," Cassie says, "When will we see you again?"

"A week tomorrow," Hermione replies, "Because I happened to score you and Scorp tickets to England's first game of the tournament."

"Really?" Cassie asks in surprise.

"Yes, England vs the Nordic team," Hermione says cheerfully, she is glad to see a smile on Cassie's face again, "Although if I get bad reports from your Dad, I might just have to ground you so you can't come."

Cassie rolls her eyes, "That's blackmail, Mum."

"If it makes you treat your Dad with a little more respect I don't care," Hermione says with a sneaky smile, "Gryffindors can learn a lot from Slytherins you know."

Cassie laughs despite herself and hugs her Mother, "I'll miss you this week."

"I'll miss you too," Hermione says honestly, "But I'll floo every few days, I promise. And if you need to talk to me about anything at all just floo me, alright?"

"Alright," Cassie agrees.

* * *

"I need to talk to you."

Harry frowns and looks up, "Uh, I'm supposed to be in Australia in half an hour so make it quick. What's up Bill?"

Bill Weasley lets himself into Grimmauld Place and the floo closes behind him. He turns to Harry and says simply, "Your Godson."

Harry rolls his eyes, "Fantastic. What has he done this time?"

"He took it upon himself today to stand on the head table and tell the entire school he was in love with my daughter," Bill says calmly, "And he then proceeded to kiss her in front of the entire school _and_ me."

Harry bites his lip, "Now I'll grant you, that's a little extreme for a 15-year-old. But apart from the extravaganza I don't quite see the problem."

Bill leans against the door, "Are you sure he's Remus's son, not Sirius's?"

"I do wonder sometimes," Harry admits, "Is this the first of you finding out about their badly kept secret love affair?"

"Yes," Bill says, amusement clear in his voice now, "I had no idea until today Are you saying you _did_ know?"

Harry raises an eyebrow, "I've known for ages. Merlin Bill, it's bloody obvious."

"Coming from you, the most oblivious guy at Hogwarts," Bill scoffs, "According to Ron anyway."

Harry scoffs too, "Which is rich coming from him. What did Victoire have to say about Teddy's stunt?"

"She was mortified and very apologetic when I spoke to her," Bill admits with a slight smile.

"I never understood why she wanted to keep it a secret," Harry says thoughtfully, "Teddy kept thinking you would disapprove of his part-werewolf status. I figured that you would be a bloody hypocrite if you did."

Bill snorts in amusement, "I would be and I don't disapprove. I think Teddy's a great kid, if a little..."

"Extravagant?" Harry fills in with an amused grin.

"That works," Bill agrees, "And for the record. Victoire didn't want her friends in Slytherin to know she was dating a Hufflepuff which is why she kept it a secret."

Harry rolls his eyes at that, "When are house divides going to disintegrate at that bloody place? I'm already worried for Cassie, with Malfoy as her Dad she's going to get shit at Hogwarts and I don't know if Hermione has prepared her for that. It's going to be even worse if she's in Gryffindor...can you imagine a Malfoy in Gryffindor?"

Bill raises an eyebrow at Harry, "I admire your concern but she isn't yours to worry about. I'm sure Hermione and the idiot she married have addressed the issue."

"Hermione and the idiot who is soon to be her ex-husband you mean," Harry says, slightly triumphantly.

"You aren't the reason for the divorce, are you?" Bill asks in exasperation.

"I'm not actually but Hermione and I are working through some things," Harry says cryptically, "Although I do wish I could just erase the past sometimes."

"You mean she's still pissed with you for all the shit you put her through?" Bill asks bluntly.

"Exactly," Harry sighs, "And before you ask, no I don't blame her for that."

Bill nods, "You made your bed and now you're lying in it."

Harry gives him a small nod, "I suppose so. What shall I do about my Godson?"

"Make sure you have _the talk_ with him for one. If my daughter gets pregnant I will kill you," Bill says seriously.

Harry nods and grimaces, "That talk is going to be fun..."

"You're his Godfather, it's your job," Bill says with a slightly wicked and toothy grin. It is clearly nearing the full moon.

"I suppose we should all have dinner together," Harry muses, "If they are serious about dating."

"They're 15, I don't think it's that serious," Bill points out, while looking a little pale.

"Well I'll keep an eye on it and I'll talk to Teddy, don't worry," Harry says.

Bill nods, "Good and if you are really concerned about Cassie, Harry...well, I'll keep an eye on her when she comes up to the school. I'll try and make sure the bullying isn't too bad."

"Thanks Bill," Harry says genuinely, "I really appreciate that."

Bill nods again and lets himself out via the fireplace. He is probably heading back to Hogwarts where he has worked as the Ancient Runes professor for the past few years.

When the floo stops whirring Harry groans as he tries to work out how exactly he is going to give Teddy the bloody talk. He decides to pen a quick letter before heading back off to Australia for the first game of the tournament.

" _Teddy,_

 _I heard all about your escapades with Victoire from her Father (he wasn't too happy with you mate). I'm glad you finally had the balls to call her out on the fact she was keeping your relationship secret but did you really have to announce it to the whole school? I swear sometimes you've got more of Sirius Black in you than Remus Lupin. Or maybe that's just your Mums side, she was a Black after all and she was bloody insane too._

 _Anyway, congratulations are clearly in order. Victoire's a gem and I get on pretty well with her parents so don't screw it up. I need to chat to you about a few things in person (and I miss you a little bit too) so I scored you a ticket to England's first game of the season against the Nordic team. I know, I'm the best Godfather ever right?_

 _It's Saturday the 14_ _th_ _of June, the game starts at 3pm. I know you'll still be in school but your exams will be done by then, won't they? I thought it would be a fun way to celebrate. I'll pick you up on Saturday morning and we'll head down to the pitch in the Lake District if you decide you want to come._

 _Remember to actually revise for your O.W.L's, don't just snog Victoire in dark corners of the library. If you screw them up your Grandmother will go mental at you and probably blame me for being a bad influence. (And I'll buy you that new firebolt if you pass them all)._

 _Love,_

 _Harry."_

Satisfied with his letter, Harry grabs his bag and rushes towards the door. If he misses the rehearsal in Sydney Chelsea and Hermione will go mental at him and the last thing he needs is the wrath of them both hitting him at the same time.

* * *

Harry arrives at the studio just in time and Hermione arrives just as late as he does. Chelsea is in a foul mood but everyone has heard about the scandal she is currently embroiled in so they don't bite back. They rush through the rehearsal and as things are being wrapped up afterwards Hermione grabs a few minutes with Harry.

"Harry," Hermione says simply as she walks over to him.

Harry looks up and smiles, "Hey," He says brightly.

"Do you have anything you want to tell me, Harry?" Hermione asks, crossing her arms and looking formidable.

Harry bites his lip and wracks his brain to figure out what he has done wrong, "No?"

"Really?" Hermione asks with fake surprise, "Because I ran into Bill at the apparition centre. He was heading out to France to check on Fleur's Dad and I was delayed because some idiot was trying to bring bananas back from Australia. So we got talking and he said he had _just_ spoken to you about Cassie's welfare at Hogwarts."

Harry curses inwardly, "I didn't realise it would get to you so fast. I was just looking out for Cassie, I mean she's clearly going to be in Gryffindor and her Dad is Draco Malfoy. I didn't want her to get bullied, I was worried about her."

"For your information I have already spoken to her about this!" Hermione snaps, "I know fine well who her Father is and how people view him! I have told her everything about his past and prepared her for the fact she could well be bullied for it. Do you think I'm a terrible Mother?"

"No, no," Harry says quickly, "I think you're a great Mother Hermione. I swear, I really do. I just wasn't sure if you had spoken to Cassie about it and I was looking out for her."

"Well that's not your place!" Hermione exclaims, "She's not your...daughter!"

Harry frowns as Hermione stumbles over the final word, "I know that Hermione. But I'd like to think I've been around for her when Malfoy hasn't been. I'm just worried for her."

"I know," Hermione says half-heartedly, "I'm sorry. Everything is just building up on me right now..."

Harry puts his hand on her shoulder and grips it tightly, "I know, I won't take it personally."

Hermione nods and sighs, "I'm going to get back to the hotel and freshen up for the show tomorrow. Where will you be?"

"I'm covering the Australia game here," Harry yawns, "So I'll be at the pitch just outside Sydney. Oliver is covering the USA vs Portugal match in England."

"So you get the big, interesting game," Hermione laughs as she swings her bag over her shoulder.

"Exactly," Harry grins, "But I'll be relaying back to you guys here for your live coverage. Are you excited?"

"Of course I am," Hermione replies. She is excited but more than anything else right now, she's exhausted.

* * *

By the time she has gotten back to her hotel room Hermione just wants to collapse and sleep. However, she has no such luck because there is a loud knock on the door almost immediately after she has entered the room. Hermione rolls her eyes and gets to her feet, yanking the door open a little too aggressively.

"Chelsea!" Hermione exclaims in surprise.

Chelsea has clearly been drinking from her bloodshot eyes, "Can we talk?"

Hermione nods and cautiously ushers her into the room, smothering it in silencing charms after she has shut the door. She turns around to find that the girl has sunk onto the sofa in the room, she's a wreck.

"I'm glad you came around," Hermione says as she sits down next to her, "I wanted to talk to you about this whole Mitchell Clarke scandal. I know I'm not your Mother, but I think you need someone to talk to right now."

Chelsea rolls her eyes, "I didn't come here to talk about me. I came here to talk about you. When are you going to tell Harry that Cassie is his kid?"

"What?" Hermione asks in what she hopes is surprise and disbelief.

"You heard me," Chelsea says, her thick Irish accent all the broader because of the fact she has been drinking.

"I don't know where you got that idea from but Cassie's Father is Draco," Hermione lies.

"You're a shit liar Hermione," Chelsea drawls, "I can't believe you've survived this long in the entertainment business. Frankly I don't know how you've kept it a secret for this long. It was so obvious today in the studio, I mean if you don't want people to know, you're doing a terrible job of keeping it a secret."

Hermione shoots the girl a glare, "Just because you worked it out doesn't mean anybody else has and it's really none of your concern! You need to be worrying about your own problems and stop sleeping with married men! Why did you do it Chelsea?"

"Why not?" Chelsea drawls.

Hermione resists the urge to groan, "Chelsea, you have a promising career ahead of you in this business. All you are doing with these stupid scandals is ruining your prospects for the future! They're branding you as a slut in the local press, that's not how you want to be known, is it?"

"I don't care what they think of me!" Chelsea snaps, "I'll always be something to them! A cheap slut, a Muggle-born, the daughter of an alcoholic and a nasty bastard! It doesn't matter _what_ I do, they find a way to make it a bad thing!"

"They are the press, that's what they always have done and what they always will do," Hermione says firmly, "To make it in this business you have to know that and accept that. You have to ignore the rubbish that they write and pretend to be the person they want you to be."

"So get married and have some kids then?" Chelsea scoffs, "That's what they like, wholesome people like you!"

"Wholesome?" Hermione asks irritably, "Right because _I'm_ so wholesome! I have a daughter who has no idea who her real Father is and a best friend who has no idea he's the father of my child! My husband is soon to be ex-husband and my daughter hates him! I'm hardly the perfect example of idyllic family life, am I?"

"Well, you used to be wholesome," Chelsea says with a wave of her hand.

Hermione sighs, "Chelsea, you have to stop doing this to yourself. You're a lovely person, but you're so self-destructive."

"You'd know all about that," Chelsea says irritably, "Isn't that what you do? Fix broken people?"

"It seems like it," Hermione says with a frown, "Although I poured a lot of money and hope into Harry's rehabilitation programmes and they never fixed him. Me getting married and finally leaving him seemed to do that."

"You've got to tell him about his kid," Chelsea says, shutting her eyes and resting her head on Hermione's shoulder.

"You've got to find a decent boyfriend," Hermione counters as she rests her head on top of Chelsea's.

It's such an unlikely friendship but that's kind of what makes it so fantastic.

* * *

"Did you hear about Chelsea?"

Hermione opens one eye and looks up at Harry, "I was having a really nice little nap there."

Harry grins sheepishly, "Sorry, I didn't realise you slept on the job these days. I guess you must be getting old."

Hermione swipes at him, playfully hitting him around the back of the head, "You cheeky git! What about Chelsea? And why are you here? Shouldn't you be getting ready to head down to the pitch?"

"I should be but I thought I'd drop by first," Harry says, "And I still have a few hours until the game starts anyway. Shouldn't Chelsea be here for hair and glamour?"

"She should be but she's late," Hermione says, narrowing her eyes at the man, "What do you know about her?"

"She released a statement this morning," Harry says, "It was in the Prophet, portrayed in a good light. And well, in a not so good light in the papers here. But she apologised for her 'misdemeanour' as she called it. She said in her defence that Mitchell didn't exactly discourage it. She also said the main reason it happened was because she had been drinking and she had realised she relied too much on alcohol so she was going to see a therapist."

Hermione smiles slightly, "I'm proud of her."

"Since when did you two become friends?" Harry asks with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh I don't know," Hermione says honestly, "Somewhere along the way I realised actually liked her. She's a good kid, she just needs to grow up and face the world..."

"She didn't grow up in a war like we did," Harry points out, "We were absurdly mature for our ages. Or at least you were."

"You weren't mature," Hermione says with a slight frown, "Just old before your time."

Harry smiles slightly sadly but doesn't disagree, "I've got to head down to the pitch. Assuming both the games finish today and don't run into the night do you want to grab dinner together?"

Hermione is surprised by the question so she hesitates very slightly, "Could we maybe just get room service? I'm sick of being gossiped about in the papers."

Harry smiles at her, "Of course we can. I'll see you tonight, Hermione."

"Bye Harry," Hermione says softly.

* * *

The first two games of the weekend go off without a hitch. Australia win their game against Japan which is no surprise considering that they are ranked 1st and 16th respectively. There are two games a weekend, one in Australia and one in England. It is a unique format because of the fact that the tournament is being co-hosted. Oliver had been presenting from England at the USA vs Portugal match which Portugal had won hands down. The defeat had been fast and very embarrassing.

"So the first two teams to be knocked out in this first stage of games are Japan and the USA!" Hermione finishes as they wrap the show up.

"And next weekend we are bringing you two more games!" Chelsea adds, "We will be live from Australia in the studio and Oliver will be joining us here in sunny Sydney to report as Egypt play Romania."

"And Harry will be bringing us the low-down from England as the national team play their first game of the tournament against the Nordic team," Hermione smiles.

"All that and more next Saturday," Chelsea continues, "But for the remainder of the knock out matches we will also be coming to you on Wednesdays for our mid-week matches. Join us this Wednesday to see Oliver reporting on the Germany vs Scotland game from the Lake District pitch!"

"Thanks for watching!" Hermione and Chelsea chorus as the light flashes red to signal that they have gone off-air.

Chelsea yawns, "Merlin, I'm knackered. These weekends are going to be eventful."

"Oh yeah," Hermione chuckles, "Have you never done a big sporting event before?"

Chelsea shakes her head, "Nope, this is my first."

"When it's all over you'll want to take a yearlong holiday," Hermione laughs as she throws on her coat.

"For now I just want to go to bed," Chelsea retorts in amusement, "I'll see you on Wednesday for the midweek match."

"Take care of yourself," Hermione says, hugging the girl and adding in an undertone, "And I'm just next door if you need anything."

Chelsea smiles, "Thanks Hermione, I appreciate that," She says as they go their separate ways. Hermione walks back to the hotel in the early evening air, she finds it relaxing and with everything going on in her life she finds taking time out to sort everything out important. When she gets back to her hotel room Harry is already there, sitting out on the balcony with platters of food in front of him.

Hermione laughs at the sight and joins him on the balcony.

"I took the liberty of ordering for you," Harry says as she sits down.

"Thanks," Hermione says, "I'm exhausted."

"So am I, that game was _amazing_ ," Harry says in amusement, "I'm in two minds. After that performance I'm rooting for Australia but I'm pretty sure they're going to be rivals with England so I feel like I'm betraying England by feeling like that..."

"I'm still rooting for England," Hermione laughs, "I got tickets for Cassie and Scorp to the match next weekend. I'm going to have to convince Draco to take them since I'll be reporting from here."

"I'll keep an eye on them," Harry says as he pours her wine out, "They'll be in the top box won't they?"

Hermione nods, "Uh, yes they will be."

"I'll be there too," Harry says simply, "I'll be commentating and reporting from the box and I've also scored a seat for Teddy there. Apparently I need to have _the talk_ with him afterwards."

Hermione raises an eyebrow at him, "And you haven't yet? I had the talk with Cassie when she turned 10. Teddy is 15!"

"Yeah but he's a responsible 15," Harry argues, "He knows not to do anything stupid. He's officially dating Victoire now though and Bill's on my back so I'll do it. Bill kinda scares me..."

Hermione laughs, "Does that have anything to do with him being half-werewolf?" She jokes.

"To be honest I think it has more to do with the fact that he was a curse breaker for years and could think up hundreds of horrific ways to kill me slowly and painfully," Harry says matter of factly.

Hermione laughs and says, "Well thank you. I appreciate it and the kids will too. I'll see you afterwards, I'm going to take them out for dinner after I've wrapped up the show."

Harry smiles at her, "Well here's to a successful opening weekend."

Hermione smiles back as she holds up her wine glass and clinks it against his glass of water, "Cheers," She says happily.

* * *

The rest of the week actually passes quite quickly and peacefully. It is a rare luxury that Hermione doesn't have much of these days so she cherishes it. The Wednesday evening match is full of excitement because Scotland beat Germany. It is a big deal because Scotland haven't qualified for a long time and they are rank 10 compared to Germany's 7th. Germany have always been a great team when it came to Quidditch but for one reason or another they are having a terrible year and Scotland are having a great one.

When Saturday finally rolls around Hermione knows the day will drag because she is excited to see her children that afternoon. The time difference is driving her mad, the match kicked off at 11am British time which meant the live coverage in Australia began at 8pm. By Australian time it would be the middle of the night when she finally got to see the kids so she had spent the majority of the day sleeping to try and get herself used to the time difference.

However, back in Britain, the match was going down a storm and Harry was there to witness it all.

"This is amazing Uncle Harry!" Scorpius grins as he jumps up and down in the top box as England score for the 6th time in 10 minutes.

Harry smiles at the boy, "I'm glad you're having fun Scorp. You'll be able to see your Mum when we get to the break. I'll be on air with her in Oz."

"Oz?" Scorpius frowns.

"It's short for Australia Scorp," Cassie says matter of factly.

"I knew that," Scorpius lies.

"Did not," Cassie mutters.

Teddy snorts at the interaction, "Is this what having siblings is like?"

Cassie rolls her eyes, "It's exhausting."

"Oh Merlin Cass. You are way too young for all of this moody teenager stuff. That's Teddy's job," Harry jokes.

"Hey I'm not moody," Teddy counters, " _I_ have a girlfriend."

"Yes I know, and so do the students and staff of Hogwarts," Harry says with a pointed look at the boy, "You were brave doing that in front of Victoire's Dad you know."

"Well I was a Gryffinpuff hat stall," Teddy grins.

"If all Gryffindors and Hufflepuff's are as arrogant as you, maybe I want to be in Slytherin," Cassie says with a raised eyebrow at the boy.

Teddy laughs and says, "Hey fine by me. My girlfriend is in Slytherin; she'd show you around."

Harry chuckles and says, "You don't have any idea where you'll be Cass. I always thought this one would be a Gryffindor but then he was sorted into Hufflepuff-"

"Which is because I'm a lion hiding in the badger's belly," Teddy cuts in smugly.

Harry rolls his eyes and turns back to Cassie, "You're as clever and brave as your Mum and you can be as sneaky as your Dad. You could easily be a Ravenclaw or Gryffindor or a Slytherin."

"Does it take long?" Cassie asks with a frown, "When the hat sorts you?"

"Nah, it's just a couple of minutes," Teddy says offhandedly.

Harry smiles slightly and motions for Cassie to join him at the front of the box. When she reaches him he lowers his voice and says, "It doesn't take long at all, but you do have a choice. The hat listens to what _you_ want."

"How do you know that?" Cassie asks in a stunned whisper.

"Because it listened to me," Harry replies, "The hat wasn't sure whether I should be in Slytherin or Gryffindor. I didn't want to be in Slytherin, because of your Dad actually."

" _My_ Dad?" Cassie asks in surprise.

Harry nods, "He was the first person my age I met in the magical world. We were getting our robes fitted at the same time in Madam Malkins. He kept going on about Slytherin and how proud he would be to be sorted there like every other Malfoy in his family. I thought he was a bit of an idiot and then your Uncle Ron told me that all witches and wizards who had gone bad had been in Slytherin. He was totally wrong but I used to believe everything he said. So I asked the hat not to put me in Slytherin and it listened."

Cassie nods thoughtfully, "I don't know what house I want to be in," She admits.

"Then let the hat put you where you belong," Harry says wisely, he glances behind him and snorts in amusement, "And keep an eye on your brother, he's downing that pumpkin juice like he hasn't drunk in weeks."

"Scorp!" Cassie exclaims in exasperation.

Harry laughs as she goes back to her brother and the game continues. They reach the halfway point and the recording and communication charms kick in. A large projector-like screen appears in front of him and on the screen he can see Hermione and Chelsea sitting in the studio.

"And we are now joined by Harry who is watching this amazing game unfold live!" Hermione says cheerfully.

"I am indeed Hermione," Harry says, "And what a game it has been! The score at the moment is 110-30 to England. Shortly I will be joined by England seeker Joshua Bell but while we wait for him to make his way up here, I have two very special guests. Cassie, Scorpius, do you want to come and say hello to your Mum?"

Scorpius of course bolts up to Harry and Cassie hangs back a little. They wave at the screen and say, "Hey Mum!"

Hermione smiles broadly, "Hey guys! What do you think of the game?"

"Joshua Bell is the best seeker _ever_!" Scorpius gushes.

Cassie smiles a little shyly and says, "I think England are great this year."

Harry smiles at them, "Alright you two, I'll let you get back to your seats," He says and the kids retreat once more. He turns back to the wall and says, "You have very well behaved children, Hermione."

Hermione chuckles, "Thank you. Now, what are your predictions for the remainder of this match Harry?"

Harry returns her question with a smile and they complete their little half an hour segment. It all goes very smoothly and the match finishes very shortly after that. The English seeker, Bell, catches the snitch. They go back on air and talk a little more about the final result and the fact that the Nordic team have just been knocked out of the tournament. They compare the game with the one that has taken place in Australia, Egypt vs Romania. They talk briefly of the fact that Romania had beaten Egypt despite qualifying a lot lower than them and by the time the show draws to a close Cassie, Scorpius and Teddy are all well and truly bored.

Harry actually breathes a sigh of relief when they go off air. He turns around to the now empty top box and finds the kids dozing on each other's shoulders. He chuckles and opens his mouth to wake them when the door to the box creaks open loudly.

"How dare you use my children as some publicity stunt on your _bloody_ show?" Draco hisses the moment he sees Harry.

"Publicity stunt?" Harry asks in disbelief, "They wanted to see their Mum and Hermione misses them. It wasn't a publicity stunt, Malfoy."

"Whatever you say it was, it wasn't your call to make!" Draco snaps, "They are not your kids, they're mine!"

"And what a great role model you've been lately," Harry bites back, "You haven't been around since you took it upon yourself to try and become Minister for Magic! It was me who took them around theme parks and museums in Sydney while you were running around after Pansy here!"

"You're going to sink that low?" Draco hisses, "Because I can match you there. It was me who was there for Hermione while you were in rehab. It was me who built her back up and repaired all of the damage that _you_ did!"

"So that makes you a good person does it?" Harry bites angrily, "You helped Hermione out so you're a hero? You were still a Death Eater Malfoy and you're definitely not a hero!"

At this Draco loses his temper and reaches for his wand. He throws some sort of jinx Harry's way but Harry doesn't even bother reaching for his own wand. He thrusts out his hand and wandlessly throws a shield charm over the kids, who are now alert and have heard the entire argument.

The spell bounces off of the glass behind Harry and hits the shield charm, evaporating as it does so. Harry turns to Draco and says calmly, "I'm not going to duel you with kids in here Malfoy. If that's what you want, you're not getting it from me."

"If you're such a good role model for _my_ kids, _you_ can wait here for their Mother to pick them up!" Draco snaps, storming from the box without another word.

Harry blows out a breath and turns around to look at the kids. Teddy looks bemused, Cassie looks angry and Scorpius is crying. He removes the shield charm and kneels down in front of them, "Hey Scorp, what are you crying for?" He asks gently.

"I hate my Dad!" Scorpius shouts, lunging forward and hugging Harry as angry tears spill from his eyes.

 **TBC :)  
**


	15. Love Me Like You Do

**Fade Into You**

 **Chapter 15 - Love Me Like You Do  
**

When Hermione walks into the Quidditch ground to pick up her kids she is exhausted. But the sight she is met with warms her heart and makes her smile. Flying around the pitch are her children and Teddy. Cassie and Teddy are on brooms of their own and Scorpius is on the front of Harry's broom. She sits and watches them for a good 10 minutes before Harry spots her and flies over to her.

"Hey!"

"Hey yourself. Did Draco not show up for the kids?"

Harry looks sheepish, "He did but things didn't exactly go to plan. Come round later and I'll fill you in?"

"Alright," Hermione says, "Where are you staying at the moment?"

"Grimmauld Place," Harry replies, "And... well, just be prepared for whatever the kids might tell you over dinner."

"What the hell happened, Harry?" Hermione asks under her breath as the kids dismount and walk over to them. Scorpius is standing nearby, hence why Harry is being careful of what he is saying.

Harry shakes his head, "You'll get the gist of it and I'll explain properly later."

Hermione shoots him a wary look, "Way to put me off my dinner. Cass, Scorp, come on let's go get food!"

"Enjoy your dinner," Harry says with a slight smile, "And we'll talk later."

The kids have rushed over by this point so Hermione simply nods and gives him a goodbye hug. She manages to get the kids into the restaurant and sitting down, but then the drama of the evening begins to unfold.

"Dad sucks," Scorpius says as he pushes his food around.

"Why would you say that?" Hermione asks her son.

"He tried to kill Uncle Harry," Scorpius says miserably.

"What?" Hermione asks in an undertone.

"Scorpius is exaggerating," Cassie says quietly, "But he did attack Uncle Harry. He shouted at him for trying to be our Dad."

"I wish Uncle Harry could be our Dad," Scorpius says as he stabs a sausage on his plate, "He would be a better one."

"Is he alright?" Hermione asks sharply.

"Yeah Uncle Harry is fine," Cassie replies.

"No, your Dad. Is he alright?" Hermione asks quickly.

Cassie frowns, "He's fine. Uncle Harry only used one spell to shield us and Teddy. Why would Dad not be okay?"

"Because your Uncle Harry has a temper and he's a very powerful wizard," Hermione says after a moment of feeling stunned, "He didn't fight back at all?"

Scorpius shakes his head, "He says he wouldn't fight Dad while we were there so Dad stormed off."

Hermione sighs, "I'm sorry that your Dad is being so difficult right now."

"I don't care, Draco's an idiot anyway," Cassie says matter of factly.

"He's Dad to you, not Draco," Hermione says with a warning tone to her voice, "And he is not an idiot. I have told you before, he and your Uncle Harry do not like each other."

"They hate each other," Cassie corrects, "They hate each other's guts and until he acts like my Dad I will call him Draco. What kind of Father fires a spell that could seriously hurt his children in front of them? I told you, I hate him!"

"Don't talk like that in the restaurant, Cassie!" Hermione says in a dangerous undertone.

Cassie puts her fork down and crosses her arms. Hermione sighs, she has a feeling that the rest of their meal is going to be very difficult and fairly silent.

* * *

"So," Harry says awkwardly as he and Teddy drink butterbeer and eat nachos together, "I need to talk to you about something."

"Are you supposed to drink that if you were an alcoholic?" Teddy asks thoughtfully.

Harry frowns, "How do you know I was an alcoholic?"

"Gran told me," Teddy says, "She says that's why you weren't around when I was a kid. Can you drink butterbeer?"

Harry narrows his eyes at Teddy, "Yeah, it has a tiny amount of liquor in it. It's barely alcoholic."

"I never knew that was why Hermione left you," Teddy says matter of factly, "Because you were an alcoholic."

"How many more times do you plan on saying alcoholic?" Harry asks a little irritably, "And that really isn't your Grans place to tell you that you know."

Teddy glances up at his Godfather, "I'm not judging you. Vic says you had a crappy childhood and then you fought in the war my parents died in. I'm not annoyed about it, I just didn't know."

"You didn't know because I'm not proud of that time of my life," Harry says with a sigh.

Teddy frowns slightly, "It's in the past though Harry."

Harry catches his eye, "Just because it's in the past doesn't mean I've forgotten about it Teddy. I'm not that man anymore and a lot of that is because of you. Whatever your Grandmother says about me, I always tried to be the best Godfather I could be and I love you as if you are my son."

Teddy looks embarrassed as he looks down at the table, "Yeah I love you too...like a Dad I mean," he says sheepishly, "And for the record, I can't believe we're having a heart to heart in Nando's."

Harry smiles fondly at him, "If you're embarrassed about having this chat you're going to hate what's coming next," he says.

"What is this chat about, exactly?" Teddy asks.

"We need to talk about you and Victoire," Harry says, feeling his cheeks beginning to get pink already, "You two are 15 now. You'll be thinking about...well about things you shouldn't be thinking about yet and you have to be careful that accidents don't-"

"Woah, Harry!" Teddy cuts in, "Please tell me this isn't the talk."

Harry cringes, "I promised Victoire's Dad I'd have it with you."

Teddy's face scrunches up, "Well don't! You don't need to, we got a really awkward sex education class from our Head of House at the start of 4th year. They said it was important after the baby boom of the war. They showed us all the contraception charm and it was almost as embarrassing as this. Besides I'm only 15 and Victoire has class. Do you really think I'm going to sleep with her already?"

Harry raises an eyebrow at the boy, "That's very mature of you."

Teddy shrugs and looks into his butterbeer, "Yeah well I know you think I'm like Sirius. But I am my Father's son you know."

Harry smiles slightly, "I didn't think I needed to talk to you about it. I know you're a clever lad but I promised Bill. He's very protective of his little girl you know."

"And he gets sharp teeth and a bad temper once a month," Teddy jokes.

"No different from you," Harry retorts, "I remember having to hide my pillows when I babysat you because you lost your temper and ripped them apart, with your teeth."

Teddy grins proudly, "I'm still proud of that party trick you know."

Harry laughs, "I do want to talk to you about something else Ted. I was sort of hoping that you would keep an eye on Cass next year when she comes up to Hogwarts."

Teddy nods, "Sure, I would have done anyway. But you're pretty protective over Cassie considering you're not even her Godfather."

Harry sighs, "Her Mum is very important to me, so I do feel a bit protective over her."

"Doesn't help that her Dad is a douche," Teddy adds.

Harry barks out a laugh and says, "You're right, that _doesn't_ help."

* * *

"When are you going to stop trying to make our children hate you?" Hermione snaps the second she walks into the sound-proofed study in the house she and Draco still technically share.

"As soon as your _boyfriend_ stops trying to be their Father!" Draco remarks, "Are you sure he doesn't know?"

"He doesn't know and he's not my boyfriend," Hermione says firmly, "But I'll tell you what I do know. Cassie is calling you Draco because she refuses to call someone who fires a dangerous spell that could have killed her, Dad."

Draco pales at those words, "What?"

"You are hurting her so much," Hermione says dangerously, "You are hurting them both and they are turning to Harry because he's comforting and he's there for them after you _hurt_ them! He is not trying to be their Father and you need to drop this idea that he is. Are you feeling insecure because Cassie isn't yours?"

"Yes!" Draco shouts, "I am! Because it's very obvious that something is going on between you and bloody Potter! And you can't lie to him, as soon as you two are back together the truth will come spilling out Hermione! I will not let him take Cassie from me because she is my daughter, not his! I raised her, she is _mine_!"

Hermione surveys Draco coolly, "No, she isn't. We can't keep the truth from her forever Draco, one day she will find out and one day soon we are going to have to tell her the truth. We always knew that this day would come and you are going to have to accept it!"

Draco sinks into his chair, looking more miserable than ever. He exhales slowly and Hermione sees tears in his eyes.

"Draco, the recording charms were still active when you attacked Harry earlier. The entire thing was captured, I saw it earlier because Sebastian managed to find a copy. You were immature and you have to be a better role model for the children," Hermione says quietly, "It's bad enough that this is going to be plastered all over the papers tomorrow."

Draco nods miserably, "I'll try to make amends."

"I think you need a new approach," Hermione says coolly, "Stop hurting them in the first place and you will have nothing to make amends for."

Draco doesn't respond to this and Hermione yanks open the study door, "I'll be going back to Australia tonight or tomorrow, I don't know when I'll see you next but I'll be floo-ing and if the kids are unhappy here I'll be asking Hannah to come round and check up on them."

Draco nods and says, "I'm sorry about today. It...it has just been a bad day."

"Why?" Hermione asks with no real regard for how his day has been.

"Pansy is pregnant," Draco says with a slight frown, "And she's divorcing her husband. She has it in her head that we'll be married and Mother is telling me I ought to propose."

Hermione gives him a long look, "Once the divorce is finalised you are free to do whatever you want."

"Do you really think a second marriage that starts the same as my first one did is a good idea?" Draco asks, looking up at Hermione.

"If she's pregnant, you should do the right thing by her," Hermione says quietly, "I think the kids will hate you for it, Cassie in particular. I think they will hate the whole idea but your Mother is right. It isn't fair to leave Pansy in the lurch, this is your mistake, you have a responsibility to fix it."

"Like Potter did you mean?" Draco asks sarcastically, "Like he is ever going to do right by you?"

"You don't know what he would have done if I had told him," Hermione says quietly, "Neither of us do so don't even start going down that route. Be grateful that I haven't cursed you for what you just told me and be grateful that I will stand by you when you tell the kids about it."

"I am," Draco says quietly.

Hermione sighs, "I have to go."

"Where are you going?" Draco asks as he turns to look at her with bloodshot eyes and a tearstained face.

Hermione doesn't care about lying to him to preserve his feelings anymore. She simply says, "Harry's," and without another word or a glance back she leaves the house.

* * *

 _Ding Dong, Ding Dong, Ding Dong, Ding Dong._

The door opens immediately and Hermione frowns at Harry, "What kind of doorbell is that?"

"It's a Big Ben sound effect," Harry says with a sheepish grin, "Come on in. Are you hungry?"

Hermione yawns, "Harry, according to Australian time I've been up for about 18 hours and according to British time it's not even 9pm yet. The only thing I want is sleep."

"Sorry, the time difference is really screwing me up too," Harry admits as he leads her into the drawing room of the redecorated house, "Why did they have to split the cup between two countries that are literally at opposite sides of the world?"

"Because Australia were the only ones who offered to help pay for it," Hermione yawns.

"I'm assuming the kids filled you in about today?" Harry asks as they sink into a comfortable sofa in the drawing room.

Hermione nods, "Oh yeah. Complete with the fact they wish you could be their Dad. Oh and Cassie won't call Draco Dad anymore, she's calling him Draco now," She lets her head fall into her hands and sighs with exasperation.

Harry gently places his hand on her back and says, "He really lost it."

"I know," Hermione says as she glances up at him, "The recording charms were still on. Seb showed me...I saw it all."

"I'm sorry Hermione," Harry says instantly.

"Why are _you_ sorry, Harry?" Hermione asks in disbelief, "All you did was protect my children. If anyone should be sorry it's Draco."

"Did he have an excuse?" Harry asks.

Hermione nods, "Pansy's pregnant."

Harry's eyes widen, "Really? He managed to make the same mistake twice?"

Hermione is instantly defensive, "Mistake? You call Cassie a mistake?"

"No!" Harry says quickly, "Shit Hermione, that came out wrong. I just meant that it is the second time he has gotten a woman pregnant in…unplanned circumstances. Is he marrying her?"

"Yes," Hermione says, still irritated with Harry, "And if you ever say something like that about my daughter again I will curse you."

"I'm sorry," Harry says genuinely.

Hermione lets her head rest in her hands once more, "So now we're going to have to explain to the kids that Draco and I divorced because he wants to marry someone else. It's probably going to happen quickly too to avoid a scandal and it's the last thing that Cassie needs right now."

Harry sighs, "All you can do is hope that things get better from here on out. They can't get much worse, can they?"

Hermione can't help but think that those sound like famous last words as she says, "I just wish my private life would stay out of the press. You do know you'll be on the front page again tomorrow?"

Harry rolls his eyes and says, "Don't worry about that, I'm used to it. Better our dirty laundry on the front page than the kids I suppose. I wouldn't put it past the press to bring them into this."

"That's true," Hermione sighs, thinking about how easy it would be to fall asleep on this sofa.

"There's just one thing that I found weird about Malfoy's rant," Harry says and Hermione's heart begins to pound with fear. Her eyes snap open but she doesn't look at Harry as he continues, "He kept saying that I wasn't their Dad. Of course I'm not, I'd never claim to be a Father figure to either of them. Why is he so touchy about that?"

Ice runs in Hermione's veins as she frowns and says, "I don't know...did he say anything else?"

Harry narrows his eyes at Hermione, "No...why?"

"Just curious," Hermione says evasively.

Harry opens his mouth to prod further but Hermione sighs and shuts her eyes, "He's touchy about a lot of things at the moment. He's worried you're going to swoop in and steal me and the kids away from him. You've always beaten him at everything, he really hates you."

"Well the feeling is mutual," Harry mutters, "I think he's a selfish bastard."

"Hmm," Hermione hums as she feels herself begin to drift off into an easy sleep on Harry's incredibly comfortable sofa.

* * *

When Harry wakes up the next morning Hermione is gone. He had fallen asleep with her on the sofa but she had clearly woken early and disappeared. He knows that she is going to avoid him after that because he knows her well. He knows the way her brain works and it drives him bloody insane.

He has a little spare time before he has to get back to Australia so he decides to nip by Neville and Hannah's house in the hope he can grab his best friend alone for a chat. As it is Hannah answers the door. She rolls her eyes, "Hermione drama?"

"Kind of," Harry says sheepishly, "Is he in?"

"He's in the greenhouse," Hannah says, "And he has mandrakes in there so take these."

Harry shakes his head in amusement as Hannah hands him a pair of earmuffs, "Let's hope he hasn't passed out this time," He grins.

Hannah laughs, "I think he's a little more competent than he was in 2nd year," She jokes as she leads Harry through the house and unlocks the back door.

"Only a little?" Harry teases, stepping out of the door and popping the earmuffs on. He walks the length of Hannah and Neville's huge garden and slips into the greenhouse where Neville is singing very badly to the mandrakes that he is repotting.

"Don't quit your day job," Harry grins from the doorway.

Neville jumps and nearly drops the screaming baby mandrake, "Harry! What are you doing here?" He asks loudly as he encases the mandrake in soil and puts his earmuffs around his neck.

Harry follows suit and says, "I wanted to talk to you about Hermione."

"Considering that she is all you ever talk to me about, I can't say I'm surprised," Neville says in exasperation, "What is it now?"

"We've been working some things out," Harry admits, "The sexual tension is killing me. I can tell she feels the same but she's holding back. She says it's the divorce but something tells me there's something else...I know this is going to sound crazy but I don't think Cassie is a Malfoy."

Neville nearly chokes in surprise but he manages to cover up his slip-up, "Uh, what do you mean?"

"Well I'm assuming you saw the prophet saw this morning. Me and Malfoy got in an argument and he kept adamantly asserting that he is Cassie's father, like he's paranoid about it," Harry says with a frown, "I think Hermione slept with somebody else around that time."

Neville bites his lip, "Uh...I...well...that wouldn't be like Hermione. Would it?"

"It wasn't like Hermione to marry Malfoy while I was in rehab," Harry points out, "And Cassie has none of Malfoy in her at all. I mean she doesn't even _look_ like him. From the curly brown hair to the brown eyes, she's Hermione through and through."

"And Scorpius looks exactly like Draco with none of Hermione in him," Neville says, "So if that's your argument, it's pretty weak."

"I don't know, I just get a feeling Hermione is hiding something when it comes to Cassie," Harry says with a frown, "When I told her that Malfoy was saying that he was her Father over and over again she asked if he had said anything else. I mean he hadn't, but the thought clearly worried her."

Neville sighs and sits down in a wicker chair, "To be honest Harry, you should just talk to Hermione about this."

Harry nods thoughtfully, "I will when things are a little more certain between us. She fell asleep with me last night and disappeared this morning so I know she'll spend the rest of the week avoiding me. I'm going to corner her after the show on Wednesday and make a stand."

"Make a stand?" Neville asks warily.

Harry stands up, nodding triumphantly, "Just like Teddy did with Victoire. Thanks for the chat Neville, I feel a lot better."

"Great," Neville says weakly as Harry walks out of the greenhouse smiling.

As the door swings shut he lets his head fall onto the table with a groan at how bloody clueless Harry still is after all of these years, and at how goddamn stubborn Hermione is.

* * *

Hermione had woken up early that morning and gingerly pushed herself up. She had left without waking Harry and she makes sure to stay away from the papers as she rushes to the apparition centre to get back to Australia. She has writing to do, and another Wednesday night show to prepare for, and truthfully she wants to avoid Harry. She is seriously beginning to suspect that he knows, or at least suspects, about Cassie's real parentage.

She manages to avoid him fairly well that week and she suspects that he knows exactly what she is doing. The Wednesday show goes off without a hitch, France play India and France win. It is after the show that Hermione has to face Harry, she has purposefully taken the stairs to avoid meeting him in the elevator in the hotel. But Harry knows her too well and he corners her somewhere between the 6th and 7th floor.

"Stop avoiding me," Harry says calmly, grabbing her arm and pressing her into the wall so she can't move.

"I'm not avoiding you," Hermione lies.

"You fell asleep in my arms and disappeared the next morning," Harry says pointedly, "You're clearly running away from your feelings for me."

"I told you, I can't cope with all of this right now," Hermione says weakly.

"That's a lie," Harry says as he surveys her face, "Something is keeping you from being with me but it has nothing to do with the divorce."

Hermione opens her mouth to spew out some other lie. But before she has time to think of one, let alone form the words, she is cut off. Harry swiftly captures her lips in his own and Hermione's lies and words fall from her lips. It is like she is instantly transported into the past. She has avoided his touch for so long because she knows the moment she feels it she will never be able to go back. She knows as soon as his lips catch hers in that searing kiss that she is hooked on him again and that there will be no going back without a timeturner. She melts into him and returns the kiss with everything that she can muster. He is so close that she can feel the heat emanating off of him, she can smell his cologne and taste the coffee on his lips. It is such a nice change from the taste of firewhiskey that she has always associated with him. She can't find anything in her to break the kiss so it ends when she realises that she has to breathe.

Harry's eyes catch hers as she gasps to catch her breath. Those green eyes sparkle and shine, and when Hermione's eyes find them, they are locked there.

"I've waited for you for a long time," Harry says in a breathless whisper, "I'm done waiting, Hermione."

Hermione stares at him because she has no idea what to say. She is frozen to the spot in shock. Harry has always been many things but forward was never one of them. Awkward and fumbling, but somehow a completely different person in the bedroom, _that_ is Harry. Kissing her in a stairwell and giving her an ultimatum, that is new.

"I'll be in my room if you want to talk about this properly," Harry says. He takes a step away from her and continues up the stairs as if nothing has happened. Hermione on the other hand stands on the stairs for a good 10 minutes as she tries to comprehend what the hell has just happened.

* * *

 _Knock. Knock._

The sound of bare feet padding towards the door gradually gets closer. The lock turns and it swings open, and there is Harry standing in the doorway looking ridiculously like he had used to before the entertainment business forced him into suits and dress robes all of the time. He leans against the doorframe in jeans and a chequered shirt, looking at Hermione expectantly.

In fact, he almost looks smug, like he has known that she will come. And as much as that infuriates Hermione, it also comforts her in some strange way.

"What made you come?" Harry asks calmly.

Hermione bites her lip and looks down at the floor. She contemplates lying but the truth has been hidden for so long and after that goddamn kiss earlier she can't keep pushing it away. She surprises them both when she looks up, stares him right in the eye and calmly says, "I love you."

Harry's eyes widen, he doesn't know what he had expected but it hadn't been that. He flounders for a moment but can't find the words to respond.

"I've never stopped loving you," Hermione continues, now she has started to talk it all seems to be spilling out, "And I doubt I ever will either. Even after everything you put me through I still love you."

Harry seems to have lost the power of speech so instead of speaking he grabs Hermione by the wrist and pulls her into the hotel room. He shuts the door behind her and pushes her against it, bolting it shut as he does so. He doesn't say a word as he captures her lips in another searing kiss, a kiss that is passionate and hot and desperate. Hermione gasps against his touch and as the kiss deepens their clothes somehow begin to drop off. Everything is lost in a haze of passion and lust, their lips barely leave each other as they gasp and moan and melt into each other. Hermione has denied herself this for 12 years, she has dreamed about it, she has thought about it in the latest hours when she is all alone. Now that she is finally reunited with Harry in the most intimate way possible she is helpless to stop anything happening between them.

More than that though, she doesn't want to stop. Harry has proven in recent weeks that he is still the man she had fallen in love with, she has no reason to shy away from him anymore. Apart from that one reason of course. That one secret that she is keeping. But Cassie doesn't cross her mind that night, in the haze that consumes her the only thing she can think about is Harry.

* * *

"Wow, you're actually here this morning."

Hermione smiles sleepily and snuggles into his chest, "Shut up," She mumbles.

"I'm just saying, you have a tendency to run away," Harry says, smiling down at her through her mess of curly hair.

"I didn't run away the first time," Hermione yawns, stretching and looking up at him through sleepy eyes.

"No," Harry agrees, thinking back to that first time in the tent, "You just cried about how Ron would feel. You're not going to cry about Malfoy's feelings are you?"

Hermione snorts, "No, I couldn't care less about Draco's feelings at the moment. He's being a selfish bastard."

"Can't disagree with that," Harry mumbles into her hair.

Hermione hums thoughtfully, "What time is it?"

"7am Australian time," Harry yawns.

"Ugh," Hermione mutters, "I can't wait until this tournament is over so I can sleep in the same timezone for a week."

Harry chuckles and looks down at her, "You're still as beautiful as you were back then Hermione. You know that, right?"

Hermione looks up at him sceptically, "After 12 years and two children?"

Harry nods, he is clearly deep in thought, "I'll never get tired of trying to find my way out of your hair in the morning and looking into those sleepy eyes of yours."

Hermione smiles softly at him, "Do I have to do any writing with Chelsea today?"

Harry grins, "Nope, the show for Saturday is already prepared. You can stay here all day."

Hermione returns his smile and leans up to kiss him, she knows there are consequences that come with this decision. But this isn't the time to think or worry about them. That will come later, along with a floo-call to Hannah freaking out about what to do about Cassie. But for now, she is just grateful to be back in Harry's arms after so long. It feels like a dream and it is a dream that she wants to last for just a little while longer.

* * *

"What is that loud buzzing?" Hermione mumbles.

"It's the floo," Harry yawns, "Just ignore it."

Hermione sighs and does a quick identification charm. She is a little more alert after that, "Damn, it's Cassie. You better get it."

Harry nods his agreement and throws his clothes on, Hermione does the same and quickly tames her hair.

"Why is she calling your hotel room and not mine?" Hermione asks in a whisper as she slips out of view of the fireplace.

"I don't know," Harry replies as he accepts the call and smiles into the fireplace, "Hey Cass. What's up?"

"I was trying to call Mum but she isn't answering," Cassie says as her head bobs in the flames.

"Oh she's probably just writing with Chelsea," Harry says offhandedly, "That's how she spends her days here. What did you want to talk to her about?"

"I just hate living with Draco, I wish she would come home," Cassie admits.

"You can't call him Draco forever you know," Harry tells the girl.

"I know, but until he acts like my Dad I won't call him that," Cassie says firmly, "And...he's going to hate me soon anyway."

"He could never hate you," Harry says, "Why would you think that?"

"I heard him talking to Grandma last night," Cassie frowns, "She said I was going to be an embarrassment to the Malfoy name when I'm sorted into Gryffindor."

Harry scoffs and notices Hermione fuming out of view, "An embarrassment? That's rubbish, your Mum will be proud of you wherever you end up."

"My Dad should be too," Cassie says firmly, "And he isn't so I'm going to call him Draco."

"I'm not going to convince you otherwise, am I?" Harry asks, raising his eyebrow at her.

Cassie just shakes her head.

Harry is caught somewhere between exasperation and amusement, "You're as stubborn as your Mother, I hope you know that."

Cassie rolls her eyes, "I know. If you see my Mum today can you ask her to floo me later?"

"Of course I will," Harry says, "Take care of yourself, okay?"

"Okay," Cassie agrees, "Talk to you later Uncle Harry."

Harry waves at her as the floo connection is cut. The moment that the flames return to their normal colour Hermione begins to rant and rave and Harry thinks it is best to just let her get it all out. When she is finished he raises an eyebrow at her and asks, "Do you feel better?"

Hermione nods and sinks down onto the sofa, "What are we going to do now Harry? What are we?"

"What do you want us to be?" Harry counters, "Do you want us to be back together?"

Hermione catches his eye, and she can't deny it. That _is_ what she wants and all of the reasons why she shouldn't want that don't seem that significant anymore. She knows that Cassie will have to know the truth one day, she knows it is going to have to come out. But the timing has to be right and with everything else going on in her life at the moment, the timing is certainly not right.

"Yes," Hermione whispers.

Harry smiles as he leans down to kiss her, "Then that's what we are."

"But we have to keep it a secret," Hermione says instantly, "At least from the kids. They have so much going on at the moment, I don't want to confuse them and...oh Merlin, if Draco knew..."

Harry smiles slightly as she works herself up into a frenzy, "Hermione, I'm just happy to have you back. If you tell me I can't tell a soul I won't, but with your permission can Neville know?"

"If Hannah can," Hermione says with a sheepish smile.

Harry laughs and says, "We should really tell them together, don't you think?"

"Oh Merlin," Hermione chuckles, "What do you have in mind?"

"I'll invite them around for dinner," Harry says with a grin, "I just won't tell them that you are also invited."

Hermione smiles up at him, "Alright, that sounds good."

"Good," Harry says, kissing her again and pulling her up from the sofa, "And by my logic we still have the rest of the day to spend in bed."

Hermione pulls away and grimaces, "I can't...I have to call Cassie."

Harry groans in mock frustration, but lets go of her, "You better come right back to this bed."

"Don't worry, I will," Hermione grins as she slips out of his hotel room.

 **TBC :)  
**


	16. Truth

**Fade Into You**

 **Chapter 16 - Truth **

The rest of the week is a haze. Hermione is so glad to have Harry back in her life that everything seems brighter that week, the world seems more hopeful somehow. The Saturday show flies by and with that the knock-out matches are over. Harry reports from Australia as Spain smash New Zealand, knocking them out of the league. Oliver reports from England where Ireland play an amazing match against Canada, wiping the floor with them with an embarrassing final score of 230 - 50.

They are entering the final week of June now and the Quarter-finals will be starting the following weekend. There are no more Wednesday matches now that the 16 teams in the tournament have become 8. The high ranking teams have done well, with those teams ranked 1 to 5 (Australia, England, Spain, Ireland and France) staying in the tournament. There had been a resurgence towards the lower ranks too with teams who should have lost in the knock-outs fighting their way into the Quarter-finals. Teams ranked 9 to 11 had managed this feat (Portugal, Scotland and Romania).

All in all, it is shaping up to be an interesting tournament. But as Harry and Hermione head homewards on Sunday for their meal with Hannah and Neville that week, their minds are on other things apart from Quidditch.

* * *

"Why do you think he's invited us round out of the blue?" Neville asks suspiciously as he buttons up his shirt while Hannah fixes her hair.

"Maybe he just misses us," Hannah says with a raised eyebrow.

"He comes in here once a week to complain or rant about something," Neville snorts, "Nah this is weird for him. Harry doesn't _do_ dinner, does he even cook?"

"I don't know, I think he has a house elf," Hannah says with a frown, "Were the kids settled when you left?"

"Yeah they were watching some Disney film or something with your Mum," Neville says offhandedly, "Seriously though Han. Do you think something is wrong and this is his way of breaking the bad news?"

Hannah rolls her eyes, "Neville, it's dinner. Calm down."

"Alright," Neville says as he fixes his tie, "Are we ready to head off?"

Hannah nods and gets to her feet. She links her arm through her Husbands and says, "We're ready. Let's go and have dinner with our friend, and stop reading into it so much!"

Neville nods again and lets Hannah drag him to the bottom of the back garden. They slip out of the gate into the bordering field and turn on their heels, disappearing from view.

When they reappear in front of Grimmauld Place Neville surveys the house suspiciously as if doing so will explain why Harry has invited them there. Hannah rolls her eyes and stalks forward, ringing the doorbell.

 _Ding Dong, Ding Dong, Ding Dong, Ding Dong._

Neville frowns, "What the hell is that?"

"It's the chiming of Big Ben," Hannah replies in amusement as the door swings open.

"Hey Hannah, hey Nev!" Harry says cheerfully, "Come on in."

Neville's eyes narrow, "You are _never_ this happy," He says as he steps into the hallway.

Hannah shakes her head in disbelief, "He thinks you're dying and you've invited us for dinner to break the news."

"I do have news to break to you," Harry admits as he leads them towards the formal dining room, "But it isn't bad news. In fact, it's very good news."

Hannah smirks because she has a feeling she knows what is coming. They step into the dining room after Harry and standing there looking positively radiant is Hermione. Harry grins at his friends, "We're back together."

Neville smiles, "Congratulations."

Harry beams at this and Hermione looks vaguely embarrassed.

Hannah narrows her eyes at him and says, "Harry, I'm going to be perfectly honest with you. I like you, but I'm still pissed about what you did to Hermione all those years ago. So I just thought you should know, I was reading about a new castration charm the other day and if you _ever_ hurt Hermione like that again, I will not hesitate to use it on you. Got it?"

Harry is a little scared of Hannah, as landlady of the Leaky Cauldron she deals with arseholes every day and they fear her in that place. He swallows and nods, "Got it," He says, unaware of Hermione grinning in amusement behind him.

Hermione chuckles and says, "It's a secret. You two are the only people who know, we haven't told anyone yet, not even the kids."

"And especially not Malfoy," Harry mutters.

"Did I ever tell you that Neville punched him?" Hermione asks him suddenly.

Harry grins, "Did you really, Neville?"

Neville smiles sheepishly, "He was being a selfish bastard about the whole affair, he deserved it."

Hermione smiles, "I admire your loyalty Neville," She says honestly.

Neville looks a little embarrassed as he sits down at the table, "Yeah well he was being an idiot. Anyway, I've got to ask you this as your _friend_ , is this the real reason you got divorced?"

Hermione has been expecting the question so she isn't offended by it, "I suppose in a sense it was a reason for the divorce. To be honest Neville, it was a combination of my show being cancelled and Draco running for Minister. He stopped caring so much about the kids and he got paranoid about me working more closely with Harry. But at the same time he was right to be worried because in recent weeks all of the old feelings just came rushing back. He had an affair with Pansy because he figured that I was sleeping with Harry."

"But it was more a case of his paranoia getting the better of him," Harry adds, "Because nothing happened between Hermione and I until last week."

"But no, Harry didn't end my marriage," Hermione finishes.

Hannah smiles at them slightly, "I'm glad you both seem happy again. Although good luck breaking this one to Draco."

Hermione rolls her eyes, "Tell me about it. He's paranoid that Harry is going to swoop in and steal me and the kids away from him. Honestly, it's not that Harry is pulling the kids towards him, it's that Draco is pushing them away."

"Cassie won't even call him Dad," Harry says with a pointed look at Neville, "She's calling him Draco."

"She's struggling with this a lot more than Scorpius," Hermione sighs, "Everything has just hit her and she's acting out. She seems to listen to me at least and to Harry. But she's adamant that she hates her Dad right now."

"Well he is being a dickhead," Neville says bluntly.

Harry snorts in amusement and Hermione rolls her eyes, "Do you have any manners?"

"Merlin, some things never change," Hannah laughs, "I feel like I've gone back in time 12 years."

Harry and Hermione both laugh and share a small smile. But the truth is already beginning to weigh down on Hermione. 12 years ago she had been pregnant with his child. The child she still hasn't told him about.

* * *

"Hermione?"

Hermione knows what Neville is going to say to her the moment he beckons her towards him. They have eaten their meal and are now lounging in the drawing room. Harry is showing Hannah the revised family tapestry at the back of the room.

Hermione can just ignore him but she knows what he has to say is important so she puts her glass of wine down and walks over to him.

"You have got to tell him the truth now," Neville says in an undertone.

"Do you really think I don't know that?" Hermione asks irritably.

"You're together again Hermione," Neville whispers, "You won't be able to lie to him for much longer, he already suspects something."

Hermione's head snaps up, "What do you mean?"

"He's noticed that Cassie looks only like you, not like Draco. He's noticed that she has nothing in common with him, he's noticed that Draco is paranoid about not being her Father," Neville mutters, "He knows Cassie isn't Draco's."

"Does he know anything more?" Hermione asks in a terrified whisper.

"No," Neville says, "Because I didn't tell him, but Merlin I was tempted. He _deserves_ to know."

"I know he does Neville but I can't do this to Cassie," Hermione whispers, "I've been telling her all of this time to respect Draco because he's her Dad. How can I just turn around and tell her that he isn't her Dad now? And Scorpius will hate it, he _wants_ Harry to be his Dad because of everything Draco is doing. But I'll have to tell him he's the only one who really is Draco's. What am I supposed to do?"

"You're right but you are also making excuses," Neville says softly, "And I know it's a mess but it's one you are going to have to figure out unless you want to lose Harry again."

"I know, trust me," Hermione says quietly, "Just give me a little more time."

"I'm not going to wait forever for you to tell him," Neville warns, "And he won't either. You know he's inquisitive and he already suspects. It will be better that he finds out from you than from somebody else."

Hermione nods and keeps her mouth shut as Harry and Hannah begin to walk back towards them. All of a sudden her little bubble of happiness and perfection has just burst.

* * *

Harry and Hermione manage to keep their secret between themselves, Hannah and Neville for a few days. In fact, it is _almost_ a week before anyone else cottons on. On Saturday they launch the first Quarter-final show which means that they are busier than ever and barely see each other that week. Hermione has managed to briefly pop in and see the kids, but she is missing them more than usual that week too. It is some small comfort to her that Scorpius at least seems to be getting on a little better with his Father these days.

The Saturday show runs late, far later than Hermione is happy with. But she has to keep a smile plastered on her face, _damn visual radio_. Australia and Portugal both play a good game, hence why it lasts for as long as it does. Australia do win in the end, after a 6 hour match that knocks Portugal out of the tournament. Hermione isn't particularly bothered about the result as she crawls into bed that night and falls asleep in Harry's arms.

The Sunday show is just as much of a nightmare, for Hermione at least. Chelsea is loving it because Ireland are playing France and they are playing brilliantly. The game runs over (their show is supposed to run for 2 hours which is the average length of a professional Quidditch match), but not as much as the previous game had done. In the end it is only 2 and half hours long, and Chelsea struggles not to sound biased as she silently cheers Ireland on. When the show comes to a wrap Hermione is exhausted and bed is calling her once more, she smiles at the thought because with bed comes Harry.

Chelsea throws her jacket on and grins, "Can you believe Ireland beat France? They might make the final yet!"

"Maybe," Hermione says with a smile, "They have been playing well."

"Uh-huh," Chelsea says with an amused glance at the woman, "Although you don't seem that interested in the Quidditch at the moment. How long have you and Harry been back together for exactly?"

Hermione's head snaps up, "What?"

"Oh come on Hermione, it's obvious," Chelsea chuckles, "You're both way too happy at the moment, which is a good thing. Hell, I'm jealous."

"Because I'm with Harry?" Hermione asks in an undertone.

"No, because you're in a relationship which clearly makes you both happy," Chelsea says as they leave the studio together, "That's something I've _never_ had."

"Well I've got friends, I could always set you up," Hermione says, her eyes flashing eagerly.

Chelsea snorts, "Thanks but no thanks. I think I'll take my chances on my own."

"Well that's up to you," Hermione says simply, "Oh and Chelsea, could you keep quiet about Harry and I? Nobody knows, I haven't even told the kids yet."

"Uh-huh," Chelsea says with a knowing look, "You're going to have to tell _her_ you know. Now that this is a thing."

"I know," Hermione says, already irritated with people telling her this, "But not right now. She's going through enough as it with Draco and I's divorce, and his affair..."

Chelsea sighs, "It must be tough on her. I remember my parents breaking up and fighting when I was a kid...I hated it."

Hermione nods as they saunter along together, "It's not easy on her, that's for sure."

"Don't worry," Chelsea says, "I'll keep your secrets. I do actually quite like you, believe it or not."

"Shock horror," Hermione jokes with a smile.

Chelsea chuckles and says "Good luck with...all of it I guess. I'll see you next Saturday."

"See you then," Hermione agrees, waving as Chelsea slips into an alleyway to apparate back to the hotel.

* * *

The following week is even busier than the last. As June becomes July, Harry and Hermione grab as many moments with each other as they can. Mostly it is the evenings and the nights when they can steal time away from the hustle and bustle. Harry is splitting his time more and more between England and Australia, they aren't spring chickens anymore and the time difference is exhausting. The tournament still has a month to go and they are both finding themselves wishing that it was over. But over the course of the week through conversations with his closest friends and through comments of Hermione's, Harry's suspicions about Cassie begin to grow...

It all starts with a simple chat he has with Chelsea early that week.

"So what are you thinking of doing when this is over?" Chelsea asks him conversationally as she jots down the odd joke for Saturday's show and Harry frowns over his blank piece of parchment.

"Uh...I don't know," Harry replies honestly, he is trying to come up with a witty little article for the Daily Prophet. Now that the show is getting bigger, he suddenly seems important again.

Chelsea glances over at him, they are sitting in the executive lounge of the hotel which has been reserved for their show. Hermione is visiting her kids and as far as Harry is concerned, Chelsea has no idea that they are together, "You're a great researcher, anyone would have you."

"I've stuck with Hermione all of these years," Harry says thoughtfully, "I suppose I'll wait and see if she has anything new in the pipeline. If not, I'll accept that old offer of yours."

Chelsea chuckles, "Well I'll keep my fingers crossed but I think this show is going to relaunch Hermione's career."

"I think you're right," Harry yawns.

"Hey Harry," Chelsea says, hoping to catch him now because he is in a good mood, "Can I ask your advice on something?"

Harry actually looks over at her, "Yeah, sure," He says, curiosity getting the better of him.

"I don't want to offend you but I know you had some problems with alcohol-"

Harry laughs and says, "That's not offensive, it's the truth."

Chelsea gives him a sympathetic look, "I know and it's just...well I've got this therapist I have to see and he thinks I'm too reliant on alcohol. He said that when I have a bad day, I should stop automatically reaching for a glass of wine to make it better."

"That's good advice," Harry says with a nod, "But what's your question?"

"Is that how it started for you?" Chelsea asks quietly, "The odd drink after a bad day and then a... well, then the road to ruin?"

Harry shakes his head, "No...it all happened at once with me. After the war I couldn't sleep, I couldn't drown out the nightmares during the day and I didn't want them to come back at night. I went out and got blazingly drunk one night and slept like a baby. Because it had worked once I just kept doing it. So no, it definitely wasn't a gradual thing Chels. I wouldn't worry too much, I don't think you're going to end up in rehab or anything like that."

Chelsea nods, "It would be kind of awkward, trying to organise the show on my odd day out from rehab."

"Day out?" Harry asks with a frown, "I don't remember any days out."

Chelsea nods, "Yeah, I don't think the programme has changed much recently. I've had friends who have been a part of it, if you're doing well they let you out for a day here and there. Most people drink the second they get out and don't remember a thing though."

Harry's frown deepens but Chelsea goes back to her writing after that and is silent. He wracks his brain but he can't remember a single day out. He comes to the eventual conclusion that the programme must have changed over the last 12 years.

* * *

He and Hermione manage to have dinner together on Saturday night after England play Scotland. The latter team have been doing well this year but they don't stand a chance against England who are of course ranked 2nd in this year's event. The match barely lasts an hour before Joshua Bell catches the snitch and ends it, Harry is gutted that he is assigned to the Sunday match that weekend. He is in the studio with Hermione and Chelsea but he wishes he could have seen the game live.

The Sunday match is slightly less dramatic. Romania play Spain, and somehow Romania win despite being about 8 places behind Spain in the tournament. A rank 3 team has been knocked out by a rank 11 team, and Harry comes to the conclusion on air that day that Romania had obviously just had a tough time of it in qualifying.

As the weekend draws to a close, the quarter-finals end and the semi-finals will begin next week when Australia, England, Ireland and Romania will battle it out to make it into the final. Harry and Hermione however are headed back home. Hermione is going to see her kids who finally seem to be getting on with their Father again. Cassie is even calling him Dad now, and Scorpius seems to have forgotten the dramatic events of the early summer.

Harry is going to Neville and Hannah's for dinner and for a general catch-up. It has been a few weeks now and Harry is still as deliriously happy with Hermione as he had been when she showed up at his door that night. They have been doing a good job of keeping it a secret, but Harry is beginning to get to the point now where he wants people to know.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm so happy with her," Harry is saying over a cup of coffee as he and Neville watch Frank, Alice, Cassie and Scorpius flying around the field behind the house, "But I just wish we could be a little more open. I wish we could at least tell the kids but telling them means Malfoy finding out..."

"I get that it's complicated," Neville says honestly, "I mean look at today. Today is a perfect reason of why it's complicated, Hannah and I are watching the kids because Hermione and Draco are discussing the custody agreement at the Ministry."

"I know," Harry says, "But I wish we could tell them. I hate lying to them and I know Hermione does too. I haven't even told Ron yet, but Hermione reckons if I did the secret would get out pretty quickly."

"Secrecy has never quite been Ron's strong point," Neville says with an amused glance Harry's way.

Harry chuckles and turns his eyes back to the kids as Cassie begins to dive towards the ground to catch their 'snitch' which is an apple Neville has enchanted for them.

"Is she doing a wronski feint?" Harry asks in disbelief.

Neville laughs as Cassie catches the apple and triumphantly takes a bite out of it, "Yes, she was. Have you not seen her play before? She's a fantastic flyer, I mean for a 10 year old. None of us were ever that good, apart from you of course. You were always exceptional on a broom."

Harry's eyes are locked on Cassie, "I haven't seen her play since her junior Quidditch days but she wasn't that good then. I suppose she does get _something_ from Malfoy then."

"Malfoy was never that good," Neville says without realising that he is fuelling Harry's suspicions, "He was a good seeker but never quite as good as you. Cassie will make a fine seeker one day, or a chaser if she'd prefer."

"Yeah, I think you might be right," Harry says and something tugs in his gut. Something isn't right about Cassie, Hermione is hiding something and Harry feels like he is _this_ close to working out what it is. He just can't quite put his finger on it.

* * *

"Hannah, can I have a word before I go?" Harry asks later that night.

Hannah turns around from the washing up she is doing in the kitchen, "Sure," She says, pulling off her gloves and looking at him expectantly.

"I wanted to talk to you, about what you said in Grimmauld Place," Harry says, "I know I hurt Hermione back then. I did things that were unforgiveable and you're right not to trust me. But I swear, I'm sober and I'm better now. I won't hurt her."

"I know," Hannah says honestly, "I know you aren't that guy anymore. You're the guy Hermione fell in love with, hence why she's falling for you all over again. But the thing you don't seem to get Harry is that it was the constant hoping and then being disappointed that got to her. I don't know how much of this you remember but there were times when you were totally normal for days and then all of a sudden you were a wreck again."

"I kind of remember them," Harry admits, "There were days that felt easy and days that felt hard. I don't really know what triggered the bad days, I think it was reports of funerals in the prophet or the sight of things that flashed me back to it all."

"I think you had an illness," Hannah says honestly, "One that muggles call post-traumatic stress disorder. I don't think anyone realised back then, we all just thought you were a good for nothing drunk, apart from Hermione. She never gave up on you, not really."

"Not even when she married Malfoy?" Harry asks a little bitterly.

"I was her maid of honour," Hannah says, she and Harry have never talked about the wedding, it has always been a sore topic for him, "And I had to convince her to walk down that aisle. She knew it was the best thing for her and for Cassie. But she was still holding out some hope that you would come out and you would miraculously be back to normal. In the end I had to hit her with a harsh touch of the truth."

"What was the truth?" Harry asks curiously.

Hannah catches his eye and says, "I told her that even if by some miracle this 5th bout of rehab cured you, did she really think you would play happy families and raise Draco Malfoy's baby with her?"

"But is she Draco Malfoy's daughter, honestly?" Harry asks in an undertone, "Because I don't think she is and I think you know I'm right."

"It's not my place to get involved," Hannah says calmly, "All I know is that she's a good kid and that's thanks to the people who raised her."

"Come on Hannah, Hermione's your best friend," Harry says quietly, "If anyone knows the truth it's you."

"Hermione is _your_ girlfriend," Hannah points out, "If you want to go around throwing accusations then throw them at her, not me. Besides, if Cassie isn't Draco's, whose is she exactly?"

"With flying skills like those she could easily be Viktor Krum's," Harry says as he walks towards the kitchen door, "But I don't know that for sure. All I know is she definitely isn't Draco Malfoy's daughter and I will get to the truth, I always do."

"Good luck with that," Hannah says, raising an eyebrow at the clueless Gryffindor as he leaves the kitchen.

* * *

"How was your day with Hannah and Neville?" Hermione asks sleepily late that Monday night. She is spending her evenings at Grimmauld Place because she hasn't found a new place to live yet and sleeping in the spare room next to her ex-husband is getting very weird. As far as Draco and the kids know she is staying in a hotel.

"Good," Harry replies, "Cassie and Scorp were having fun. I didn't know she was such a good flyer."

"Cass?" Hermione asks conversationally, "Yeah she's great. Draco taught her and you bought her first broom for her 2nd birthday."

"Her 1st birthday," Harry corrects, "She fell off and cried, you went mental..."

"Right, I remember," Hermione laughs, "You've seen her play before, haven't you?"

"At Junior Quidditch when she was about 8," Harry says with a nod, "But she's even better than she was then. She did a wronski feint today."

"She did _what_?" Hermione asks in disbelief, "Was she okay?"

"Relax Hermione," Harry chuckles, "She was fine but the whole thing got me wondering. Do you think we should spend some time together with the kids? To get them used to the idea of us?"

"I guess," Hermione says thoughtfully.

"I think it's just good for them to get used to me being around," Harry says, "They'll be seeing a lot of me and I want them to know that I'm there for them."

"You're right about it being a good idea," Hermione says somewhat cautiously, "But just remember Harry. You're not going to be their new Dad."

"I know," Harry says, his eyes narrowing slightly at the defensive nature of the comment, "I didn't think for a moment I would be. I just want us to be a family in some sense of the word. I mean if it hadn't been for everything I did...well you and I might have had a family by now."

Hermione visibly swallows at his words, she nods, "I know...I'm watching them tomorrow while Draco goes to a business ball. You could come round for dinner if you'd like?"

Harry smiles, her uncomfortableness at his words has gone unnoticed, "That sounds great."

* * *

"I can't believe Ross is going to Hogwarts next year. Can you believe Hermione's oldest is starting this year?" Harry asks Ron over coffee on Tuesday morning.

"The last time I saw her she was tiny," Ron says with a shake of his head, "How is Carrie?"

"Cassie," Harry says in amusement, "Do you remember the name of her other kid?"

"Scorpius," Ron says with a roll of his eyes, "I'm guessing that's the one Malfoy got to name."

"I think he named them both, Cassie is short for Cassiopeia," Harry chuckles, "It's not exactly a name Hermione would pick."

"I dunno, her name is a bit weird too," Ron points out, "I mean Hermione?"

"It's from Shakespeare," Harry says, he remembers a conversation about this once, "Her Mum loved it so she got named Hermione."

"Shakespeare's a muggle writer isn't he?" Ron asks cluelessly.

"He was a poet and a playwright, yeah," Harry says thoughtfully, "But I meant to say, I'm sorry that we don't do this more mate."

"I know," Ron says apologetically, "It's just tough with the job and the kids."

"You've only got yourself to blame for that, 4 kids and the job of Head Auror?" Harry retorts.

"Well I always thought you'd have been an Auror too," Ron says, "I never thought you'd have gone off into the radio business with Hermione. Mind you, I never thought you and Hermione would have gotten together but you did."

"We did," Harry agrees as he thinks back to those early days.

"How are you doing these days, Harry?" Ron asks and there is genuine concern in his voice.

"I'm fine," Harry says honestly, "Some days are harder than others, certain anniversaries... I hate the 2nd of May but honestly mate, I'm good."

"Good," Ron says with a sheepish smile, "It was weird back then you know. Some days you would be totally fine and then sometimes you'd be fine on days you really shouldn't have been. You were always out of it around the 2nd of May mind you but Halloween didn't seem so bad for you."

Harry frowns slightly, "I did think about them…my parents that is. But I suppose Halloween was easier because only two people had died and... well a lot more than two died on the 2nd of May."

Ron nods thoughtfully, "We even all went to a party one Halloween. Do you remember that? It must have been about 2001? A couple of years after the war..."

"I remember," Harry says as he thinks back, "Hermione dressed up as Morgan le Fay."

"And you were Merlin," Ron grins, "It suited you."

Harry laughs at the thought, "Those were good days...well when I was having a good day those were good days."

"Yeah," Ron agrees, "You know, it _was_ weird how fine you were on Halloween. They even let you go on one of your days out from St. Mungo's on Halloween one year."

Harry's smile turns to a frown at those words, "What year?" He asks, "I don't remember ever being out on Halloween."

"I think you got pretty drunk that day," Ron admits, "Must have been when you found out about Hermione seeing Malfoy so I suppose it must have been the last year you were in rehab. What would that have been, 2002?"

"2002," Harry says with a vacant nod.

"You alright mate?" Ron asks with a frown.

"Fine," Harry replies quickly, "I just have...I have research I need to do for the show. Look we'll catch up again at the final, you've got tickets right?"

"Yeah," Ron says, still looking confused, "Hermione got tickets for me, Ali and the kids. Are you sure you're alright Harry?"

"I'm fine," Harry lies, "I'll see you then Ron. Take care."

Before Ron can get another word out of his mouth Harry deposits money on the table and rushes out of the little café as fast as he can without knocking people over. Ron frowns as he tries to work out what he had said that has set Harry off so badly.

Harry on the other hand apparates to his and Hermione's old dream house in the Forest of Dean as soon as he finds an alleyway quiet enough to do so. He gets in and sinks down onto the only piece of furniture in the living room, the sofa. His heart is racing, he isn't sure whether that is with fear or adrenaline. His hands shake as he punches up the calendar on the mobile phone Hermione had bought him and skips back to the year 2002. He takes a breath and does the maths.

There were 9 months and 4 days between the 31st of October 2002 and the 4th of August 2003. Cassie had been born on the 4th of August 2003 and Harry had been let out of St. Mungo's almost 9 months prior to the day. He stares at his phone in shock and disbelief as the truth of what Hermione has been hiding finally begins to dawn on him.

 **TBC :)  
**


	17. Love is a Hurricane

**Fade Into You**

 **Chapter 17 - Love is a Hurricane  
**

Cassie might be his daughter. Cassiopeia Malfoy might well be a Potter. Harry's mind is in overdrive as he tries to comprehend it. He knows it is only a _might_ because Hermione had been with Malfoy for weeks and with him once that Halloween. It means it is far more likely that Cassie is a Malfoy and that this is either Harry's paranoia or wishful thinking on his part.

He can't bring himself to believe that Hermione could keep this from him for so long. That is the big factor telling him that he is wrong, because he knows Hermione and he knows she could never keep a secret this big. He knows she _would_ never do that, but then his brain starts to contradict him. She had essentially cheated on him with Malfoy, who she had then married. If she could do that, then maybe she could have kept this from him. But if he is right and he is Cassie's real Father then Malfoy would have to know, wouldn't he? And there is no way he would have raised Cassie if she was Harry's, he is certain of that.

Harry feels incredibly conflicted as he apparates to the home Hermione had once shared with Draco. He has to put on a front for the sake of the kids, and for Hermione's sake too. He can't let her know that he is onto her, not until the kids are asleep and they can talk alone. He takes a deep breath before he knocks on the door that night and by the time Hermione answers it he has put on his front.

"Hey!" Hermione says brightly, "Dinner is nearly ready, come on in."

Harry smiles back at her, all the while wondering if he is staring into the face of a woman who has lied to him for the best part of 12 years. He follows her into the living room where the kids are currently playing wizard chess.

"Uncle Harry is here," Hermione says as she slips into the room.

"Hey Uncle Harry!" Scorpius says eagerly, not hesitating to hug Harry.

Harry hugs the boy back, "Hey Scorp! What have you been up to?"

"Just Quidditch," Scorpius shrugs, "Do you want to play wizards chess with us?"

"Sure," Harry says with a slight smile as he glances over at Cassie, "Alright there Cass?"

Cassie nods, and Hermione rolls her eyes, "Cassie, don't give Harry the silent treatment. It's your Dad and I you're mad at, not him."

Cassie raises her chin defiantly and Hermione sighs, "I'll leave these two in your perfectly capable hands Harry, I have to finish dinner."

"We made pizza!" Scorpius says excitedly, "From scratch. I picked the ingredients and Cassie made the dough."

"Awesome," Harry says, "What flavour is?"

"It's Hawaiian," Hermione replies, "But I made sure there was a section without pineapples, I know how much you hate them."

Harry catches her eye and in that moment he wonders if somebody as caring as Hermione could ever be a vicious liar. He smiles slightly, "Thanks."

"No problem," Hermione says with an easy smile, "But I have to get back to the kitchen or the garlic bread will burn."

She slips away and Harry glances over at Cassie. He raises an eyebrow at the girl, "Why aren't you talking to your parents this time?"

"She hasn't said anything for hours," Scorpius says matter of factly, "She called Mum a B.I.T.C.H earlier."

Harry's eyebrows shoot up, "Why on earth would you call your Mum that? She's an angel Cassie, all she has ever done has been for you and your brother. Everything she does is to give you a good life."

Cassie clearly detects iciness in Harry's voice and it obviously makes her feel guilty. She sighs and crosses her arms, "She said I had to accept that her and Dad weren't going to live in the same house anymore. Dad gave her this house in the divorce and now he has to buy a new one to live with Pansy in."

Harry sighs sympathetically, "That must have been hard to hear."

Cassie nods miserably, and Scorpius says, "But we have two houses now, that's pretty cool."

"That's true," Harry agrees.

"But having a stepmother isn't cool," Cassie says angrily, "Did Mum tell you that Dad is marrying that horrible woman?"

"Yes, she did," Harry says, "And I suppose that was hard to hear too. But you need to be a bit more optimistic Cass. I know all of this stuff sucks, but your Mum and Dad are both here to love you and they both care about you. A lot of kids don't have that, not after the war."

"I've already had the 'be grateful you aren't a poor orphan talk' from Mum," Cassie says irritably.

"Mum's right, you do need to be more grateful for things," Scorpius says matter of factly, "Doesn't she, Uncle Harry?"

"She does," Harry agrees as Hermione's voice calls them into the kitchen.

Cassie still seems annoyed, with Harry as well as with Hermione now, as they all trek into the kitchen. They sit around the island in the centre on stools with a large pizza and a bowl of garlic bread laid out in the centre.

As they eat Scorpius asks Harry lots of questions and Cassie remains irritably silent. Hermione keeps shaking her head and rolling her eyes at Harry, and despite his anger he manages to smile in amusement as she does so. He manages to get by fairly well that evening in fact, given what is stewing inside of him. After they eat, they play a few board games and Harry is hopeful that he will get through the evening without incident when everything kicks off.

The front door opens with a loud click and Hermione's eyes darken as she realises that it is Draco. She shoots Harry an anxious glance as the living room door opens and he walks in, his eyes immediately finding Harry.

"What is he doing here?" Draco asks quietly.

"He was just spending some time with the kids," Hermione says quickly, "We thought it would be nice for them to have a little normalcy."

"Normalcy?" Draco hisses, "You mean you were getting them used to the idea that their Uncle Harry is now _your_ boyfriend?"

"Draco-" Hermione cuts in desperately.

"Don't lie to me, I know!" Draco snaps, "I've had my people trailing you. You're back together, you have been for weeks!"

"You've been spying on me?" Hermione asks, quietly fuming but not shouting for the sake of the kids.

Draco however is paying her no attention, his anger is all aimed at Harry, "I told you Potter, you cannot swoop in and steal my life! You can't steal the attention of my children!"

"I'm not stealing anything, Malfoy," Harry says coolly, "But you seem to have a hell of a lot of anger bottled up. If you still want that duel, let's take it outside."

"Harry, please don't," Hermione begs, her eyes flitting from Harry to Draco fearfully.

"Fine," Draco says calmly.

Harry's eyes flash dangerously and a smirk appears on his face as he walks towards the door. Hermione steps forward and grabs his arm, "Harry please don't do this. He may be my ex-husband but he's also the father of my children, please don't hurt him."

"I won't hurt him beyond repair," Harry says darkly, pulling his arm out of Hermione's and leaving with Draco.

Cassie rushes towards the door and Hermione steps in front of it, "Where do you think you're going?"

"I want to see Uncle Harry duel Dad!" Cassie exclaims.

Hermione snaps the door shut with magic and locks it, "Your Uncle Harry and your Father have left the house to _avoid_ you seeing what is going on out there. You will stay right here until they come back, do you understand?"

Cassie glares at her Mother, "You suck just as much as Dad!" She shouts, throwing herself onto the sofa, crossing her arms and taking up her silent treatment once more.

As usual, Scorpius has gotten teary. Hermione sighs as she pulls him into her arms. He is very quiet which is unusual for him. No sounds come from outside and the time seems to tick by slowly, the clock doesn't even seem to be moving at the speed that it should. Barely 10 minutes have passed when Scorpius whispers, "Is Uncle Harry going to kill Dad?"

Hermione sighs, "Of course he isn't. They're just very angry at each other and I don't think your Dad is going to stop being angry until he duels Uncle Harry. He's very naughty, you shouldn't duel somebody no matter how angry you are."

Scorpius nods and pops his thumb into his mouth. Hermione curses inwardly at the fact the drama of the last few weeks has brought back the childhood habit she had forced out of him. She knows she is going to have to tackle it again before he goes to Hogwarts.

The clock ticks on and the time passes, even if it is painfully slow. After 30 minutes the door clicks and opens of its own accord. Nobody walks in and Hermione frowns until she sees a disgruntled white ferret with grey eyes scramble into the room. She gasps in horror as she realises what Harry has done and she is raising her wand to fix it when Harry steps into the room without so much as a scratch on him.

Hermione mumbles some words and points her wand at the ferret. Cassie screams in fright and Scorpius jumps out of his skin as it transforms into their Father. His clothes are ripped and bloody, and he is covered in cuts and scratches.

"Harry!" Hermione hisses angrily, "How _dare_ you do that to him?"

"He tried to use Sectumsempra," Harry says darkly, "I find it to be a fair punishment."

Hermione's glare burns so badly that Harry thinks this really might be the end for them. She gently touches Draco's arm and says softly, "Go upstairs, I'll see to this mess in a moment. I just need to kick Harry out of our house first."

Draco nods and walks out of the room, he is clearly shaken by the ordeal and Hermione doesn't blame him. She turns her glare on Harry once more and says through gritted teeth, "A word outside Harry, _now_."

Harry knows when he can challenge her and when he can't. This is one of those moments when he can't. He steps outside with her and she shuts the door to the living room, throwing up a silencing charm as she does so.

"How dare you do that to him?" Hermione asks in an angry whisper, "He may be my ex-husband but he is the Father to those two kids and not only did you just embarrass the hell out of him in front of them, you practically tortured him!"

"Tortured him?" Harry scoffs, "Don't be so dramatic Her-"

"He still has nightmares about what Moody did to him, you idiot!" Hermione yells, "It's a bloody traumatic memory! He didn't deserve that, he may have let the kids down lately but what the hell does that have to do with you, Harry?"

"Considering Cassie might be mine I think it has a lot to do with me!" Harry snaps.

Hermione freezes in horror and shrinks back against the door, "What did you just say?"

"Cassie," Harry says slowly, "She could be my daughter. The timing is right, I was let out on Halloween the year she was conceived. I didn't even remember until Ron mentioned it this morning but that Halloween was about _9 months_ before Cassie was born."

Hermione swallows hard, "Get out of my house Harry."

"If she is my daughter I have a right to know Hermione!" Harry shouts.

"No you don't!" Hermione shouts back, "You were an alcoholic when she was born! You were a useless alcoholic who let everyone around you down! You didn't even remember that night, how the hell do you think you have a right to know?"

"Because I'm not that person anymore!" Harry says, tears threatening to spill from his eyes as they fall freely from Hermione's, "I'm sober and I'm _me_ again. If she is my daughter I deserve to know that, _she_ deserves to know that!"

"I told you to get out Harry!" Hermione shouts, although her tears break her steely façade.

"Goddamn it Hermione!" Harry roars, "Is she my daughter?"

She jumps in fright at his roar because everything in the hallway shakes with the force of his magic, and truthfully that scares her. His green eyes burn into hers and her tears become sobs, they wrack her body so much that she is bent over double with the pain of them. Harry kneels down in front of her and takes her chin in his hand, Hermione is surprised at how gentle his touch is, given his anger. She looks down at him through bleary, bloodshot eyes.

"Is she mine, Hermione?" Harry asks again, his voice breaking slightly.

Hermione takes a shaky breath and nods, "Yes," She chokes out.

Suspecting it had been one thing but hearing that he has a daughter. Hearing that Cassie is his daughter is another thing entirely. He drops to his knees in front of her and she slides down to the floor to be level with him.

"I'm...so...sorry," Hermione sobs.

Harry shakes his head, his mind elsewhere. He has a million things running through it as he pushes himself to his feet and says, "I... I just...I need...time."

"Harry, please don't do anything stupid," Hermione says, clamouring to her feet and rushing after him to the door.

He is faster than her so by the time she gets there he has darted down the garden path and apparated away. Hermione shuts the door and leans against it, trying to catch her breath as her life falls apart all over again. She had been trying to wait to tell Harry at the right time, so that Cassie wouldn't suffer anymore but her plans have imploded in her face. She knows she has the kids to return to and Draco to patch up so she performs some glamour charms and pulls herself up despite the pain she is feeling. She doesn't know how she manages to walk into that room and tell the kids to go to sleep. She doesn't know where the energy she uses to pull herself up the stairs into the room she had once shared with Draco comes from. The moment she shuts the door behind her she puts up a silencing charm and sits down heavily on the bed that Draco is lying on.

"Harry-"

"I heard everything," Draco says quietly. He doesn't sound angry anymore, he sounds weary.

"I'm sorry," Hermione whispers.

"I knew it was going to come out," Draco says as Hermione's right hand shakes as she clutches her wand in it, "I just thought I had a little more time with her as my daughter before he came and took her away."

Hermione blows out a shaky breath and hovers her wand over the cuts on his chest to heal them. Her wand hand is shaking so badly that the charm barely works. Draco reaches up and takes her hand in his, steadying it enough for his cuts to start to heal.

"He shouldn't have done this to you," Hermione says, a frown knitting its way onto her forehead, "I thought he had grown up, I thought he was _better_ than this."

"He might not be an alcoholic anymore but he's still Harry Potter," Draco says, his eyes fluttering shut, "He's never going to lose his temper. He shook the entire house with it earlier."

"That scared me," Hermione admits in a small voice, "Because that was how it started back then. Everything would shake and then the next thing I knew I..."

"You had a glass cabinet flying towards you," Draco finishes, his weary eyes finding hers.

Hermione nods weakly and removes her wand from his chest. She conjures up a bowl and summons some ingredients from her potions cabinet. Draco watches as she mixes powdered dittany with some warm water, "He scared me Draco, the way he was down there scared me and the way he stormed out..."

"You think he's going to start drinking again," Draco says darkly.

Hermione nods and she lets her tears fall freely, "I really thought things would work out this time. But that was just stupid and naïve of me, he was always going to find out that Cassie was his daughter and I was stupid if I ever thought he would be alright with that."

"So it's over already then?" Draco asks.

Hermione nods miserably as she dips a wet towel into the mixture she has been stirring and begins to apply it to the cuts on his face, "I think so. He needs time to come to terms with all of this and I doubt he'll forgive me. I kept his daughter from him for nearly 11 years."

"Does she know?" Draco asks.

Hermione shakes her head, "Harry left and I sent her and Scorpius to bed. I don't know how to tell her the truth Draco, I don't want to make things worse between you two."

"I don't think they could get much worse, she already hates me," Draco says miserably.

"No, she doesn't," Hermione says softly, she puts the cloth back in the bowl. Out of habit more than anything else she puts her hand in his, "I found this in her room when I was tidying it earlier today."

Draco frowns slightly as Hermione reaches into her pocket and pulls out a little card. She hands it to him and his hand shakes as he realises what it is. It is a card from Cassie's first birthday, just a simple little pink piece of card with a bunny rabbit on it. He opens it shakily and he smiles and cries as he reads the little message inside.

" _To my beautiful little girl Cassie,_

 _Happy first birthday. I know you can't read yet but I hope one day when you are old enough you read this card._

 _You are my perfect little angel, you have made my whole world mean something. I wish I could keep you this small, safe and innocent forever._

 _All of my love,_

 _Daddy."_

"I remember that day," Draco says, his voice breaking with emotion, "You baked a cake and you wore that dress that I love...the red one."

Hermione nods as tears threatened to fall from her own eyes, "I did."

"She smiled and laughed all day," Draco says, his voice quiet and weak, "I couldn't stop thinking about how perfect she was and then he...he showed up and gave her that broomstick."

"And she fell off," Hermione says, swallowing her tears, "I got so worried, I shouted at him and told him to leave."

"We sat with her on the island in the kitchen," Draco remembers, "I was keeping her amused with her favourite toy while you patched her up."

Hermione nods, her grip on his hand tightening, "Which is exactly why you are her Father, Draco. It doesn't matter whose DNA made her up, it doesn't matter whose blood is running through her veins. It's you she sees when she shuts her eyes and looks back at her childhood."

Draco swallows a lump in his throat and hastily wipes his tears away, "Where was this?" He asks, looking down at the card.

Hermione smiles slightly, "It was under her pillow, I found it while I was changing her bedsheets."

Draco's breath catches in his throat.

"She loves you Draco," Hermione says softly, "And she is your daughter. I will make sure she knows that when I tell her about Harry. You were the first person in this world to hold her, you are the man she ran around after adoring as a baby. She called you Daddy, Harry has always been her Uncle. You have a special place in her heart, she's always been a Daddy's girl and you know it."

"She hasn't been recently," Draco says as tears sting behind his eyes once more, "And I know that it's all my fault. Trust me, I _know_ that."

"She's starting to forgive you," Hermione says honestly, "When she comes around to the idea that you're marrying Pansy, things will get better again. I think a combination of that news and the fact we told her we couldn't live together anymore was what upset her."

"I wish we could," Draco says suddenly, his eyes finding hers, "I wish we had found a way to make it work."

Hermione sighs quietly, "I wish that too sometimes. Things were good, things were simple and we were happy, you can't deny that."

"So why can't we be happy again?" Draco asks as his hand goes to her soft, slightly damp cheek.

"Because we're divorced and you are going to have a baby with Pansy," Hermione says, it is the harsh truth of the matter.

Draco is silent for a moment and his steely gaze begins to unnerve Hermione. She is mentally preparing herself for what he will do when he leans forward to close the distance between them and catches her lips in a soft, chaste kiss. It is so familiar, it feels like home and it is hard to pull away from that at a time like this but Hermione has to.

"No, Draco," Hermione says, squeezing her eyes shut tightly.

"I'm sorry," Draco says as he lowers his eyes, "I just wish things could be the way before, when things were simpler."

Hermione nods and pushes herself to her feet, "It's not that easy. In fact, it's incredibly complicated, don't you love Pansy?"

"Not like I loved you when you told me you were pregnant," Draco replies as he watches her, "I had already fallen head over heels for you. I married you because I loved you, not because it was the right thing to do."

"You don't feel that way about Pansy?" Hermione asks.

Draco shakes his head, "I'm fond of Pansy. She's my friend and she's been there for me during some terrible times but she's a reminder of the man that I was before... before you."

Hermione smiles slightly, "I'm honoured Draco, but you were already halfway to redemption before that day in Inverness."

Draco glances down, "I still feel like it's a terrible mistake, marrying Pansy."

"Then tell her this," Hermione says, "If you don't marry her, you will have to support her. And it would be a scandal for her, to have a child out of wedlock."

"The happiness of my children is more important than whether Pansy is involved in a scandal," Draco says with a sad look, "When do we tell Cassie the truth?"

"I don't know," Hermione says, she feels exhausted, both physically and mentally, "But we need to make sure _we_ do before Harry can."

"And you promise to be on my side?" Draco asks quietly.

Hermione bows her head in a slight nod, "I meant every word that I said Draco. You are her Father, nothing will change that."

* * *

"What do you mean, you don't want to marry me?"

"Exactly as it sounds," Draco replies, "I don't think it's the best thing for me or my children right now."

Pansy's eyes nearly pop out of her head, "What about me? What about the _right_ thing for me?"

Draco sticks to his guns, "I have just gotten a divorce Pansy. My daughter _knows_ it's because of my affair with you. I lost my wife, I lost my campaign, I won't lose my children too. Not for the sake of a farce of a marriage."

Hurt flashes in Pansy's eyes at those words, "A farce? What have the last few months been then Draco?"

Draco sighs and looks down at the table, "I like you Pansy but I don't love you. I won't marry for convenience, I can't do that to myself."

Pansy narrows her eyes at him, "It's sweet that you think you have a choice."

Draco's eyes snap up, "I do have a choice. I know the right thing to do would be to marry you, but that doesn't force me into doing it. You have options, you could say your husband fathered the child before you filed the divorce papers."

Pansy shakes her head, "No, I couldn't because my husband isn't capable of having children and that's fairly common knowledge. You won't really leave me to have this child alone, will you?"

"I'll support you," Draco promises, "I'll give you money, however much you need. And I'll be a part of its life when it's born, if you want me to be. But I won't marry you Pansy, I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too," Pansy says, her eyes darkening, "Sorry that it had to come to this."

"To what?" Draco asks with a frown.

"You are marrying me Draco," Pansy says firmly, "I won't have this child out of wedlock and I won't be the subject of a scandal. If you really do insist on a scandal, I'll make sure you're dragged into an even bigger one. I will tell the media about what we did in the war."

Draco narrows his eyes at her, "You were as much a part of that as I was."

"I was just a witness," Pansy says with a false look of innocence, "And they wouldn't lock a pregnant woman up in Azkaban. A corrupt politician with a history of war crimes however? I think they would give him a hefty sentence. Don't you?"

"You really are a cold-hearted, vile bitch Pansy. Do you know that?" Draco asks, his voice as cold as ice.

Pansy smiles humourlessly, "So we will have to marry soon before I start to show obviously. I was thinking of a week on Saturday?"

"You want to plan a wedding in less than two weeks?" Draco asks her in disbelief.

"Yes," Pansy replies, "And with our connections it won't be very difficult Draco. Make sure you inform your family. It would be very sweet to have your lovely children as flower girl and pageboy."

Draco gets to his feet and looks at her vehemently, "You disgust me."

Pansy smirks, "I love you too, sweetheart," she says, turning on her heel and walking towards the door.

* * *

Hermione already knows that Harry is drunk. She knows before she apparates to the house in the Forest of Dean. She knows before she looks through the window and sees the empty bottles. She has known from the moment he left her house.

Her heart pounds out of her chest as she steps through the door into the hallway. The house is silent and Hermione treads carefully through the living room where she counts 2 empty bottles of firewhiskey on the coffee table. She sees Harry as soon as she steps into the room. Through the archway into the kitchen she can see him on his knees rummaging in the back of a cupboard.

She swallows a lump in her throat and tries to speak. She wants it to come out firm and loud, but instead she croaks, "Harry-"

Harry pushes himself to his feet quickly and spins around to look at her. His eyes are red and bloodshot and he is unsteady on his feet.

"Get out of my house," Harry says in a low voice.

"Harry, let me explain," Hermione says, taking a step towards him.

"Explain what?" Harry shouts, "You hid my daughter from me! You let Draco Malfoy raise her! What more is there to explain?"

Tears spring up in Hermione's eyes, "It wasn't like that Harry. I didn't know who her Father was, it could have been Draco and you weren't here-"

"Oh sure," Harry spits, "Blame it all on me like you always have done!"

Hermione shuts her eyes tightly, trying not to be thrown back in time to the days when it was normal for Harry to be like this.

" _I'm fine Hermione! Stop nagging!" Harry screams._

 _Hermione cowers away from him as all of a sudden the room is in chaos. Every single piece of furniture in it is in the air, flying around at speeds and in directions that Harry cannot control. He is roaring about something, his wand in one hand and a half empty bottle of firewhiskey in the other._

 _Hermione cowers beneath the kitchen counter, the only thing that Harry can't rip out of the ground in this mini cyclone his accidental magic has whirled up. Tears are streaming down her face and blood stains her clothes from the glass cabinet that had collided with her when this whole thing started. She shuts her eyes tightly to try and drown it all out, to try and pretend that none of it is real because whoever that man is, he is not the Harry Potter who she had fallen in love with. As the door is forced open and Neville runs into the house, Hermione knows that this has to be the end._

 _The furniture falls back to earth with a smash and Hermione lets out a reluctant scream. There is a crack and the sound of a stunning charm. Then warm arms envelope her and she is being lifted into the air, "St. Mungo's, Hermione, that's where we have to take you," He murmurs._

 _Hermione can only nod, too afraid to pry her eyes open and assess the carnage._

" _Hannah," Neville's voice says, "Take Harry to St. Mungo's too, we will pay for one last round of rehab. If he can't get clean this time he's on his own and if he hurts Hermione again I'll make sure he ends up in Azkaban for it, hero or not."_

 _The venom dripping from his words is unreal because Neville is the kindest, most forgiving person that Hermione knows. He has given Harry as many chances as Hermione and Ron have._

" _No," Hermione mutters, opening her eyes fearfully, "I'll say I fell. Don't let him end up in prison, Neville."_

" _This is domestic abuse Hermione!" Neville remarks angrily, his eyes ablaze as he looks at her, "It's a crime!"_

" _He's just struggling to cope with everything," Hermione says, wincing slightly as a stray piece of glass is pressed deeper into her back, "It's the 2_ _nd_ _of May, Neville."_

" _That's no excuse," Neville says darkly, "And I mean it, this is his last chance. I will report him and I certainly won't help you pay for another bout of rehab. If it doesn't work five times, it never will!"_

"Harry," Hermione sobs, "I wanted to tell you, I really did but the time was never right-"

"The time was never right?" Harry roars, "When was the time going to be right Hermione? It wasn't right when she was a baby because I was still in therapy but why wasn't it right when she was a toddler? Why the hell wasn't it right when I babysat her nearly every day because _Malfoy_ was working?"

The furniture in the room begins to shake and the bottles of firewhiskey on the coffee table begin to rattle. Hermione shies away from him slightly, taking solace near the door.

"Why wasn't it right when she was 6 or 7?" Harry rages on, "I have missed out on her entire childhood because you thought the time wasn't right! I missed out on moments a Father should have been a part of and Malfoy replaced me in them!"

Hermione jumps as the glass bottles on the coffee table shatter and the glass panes in the windows begin to rattle. Harry's temper is growing and the risk of accidental magic is getting greater as it does so.

"12 years Hermione!" Harry practically screams, "You lied to me for 12 years! You let me be in her life at a distance! You never told me the truth! I never held my daughter, I never comforted her when she was sick, you _never_ let me be there for 12 goddamn years!"

On the last word there is an almighty explosion. From the spot where Harry is standing a burst of accidental magic rips through the room. Hermione remembers screaming in fright as she is lifted off of her feet and thrown against the wall. She remembers the crack of her head hitting the wall and the sickness that she feels rise up inside because of how painful it is.

But after that, her world goes blank.

 **TBC...**


	18. The Mess I Made

**Fade Into You**

 **Chapter 18 - The Mess I Made  
**

 _Knock. Knock._

"Did you order pizza again without telling me?" Draco asks Cassie with a knowing look.

Cassie shakes her head without looking up from her book, "No, I swear I didn't."

Scorpius sniggers at the exchange and Draco gets to his feet, "I wonder who's calling at this time of night then."

"Maybe it's Mum," Cassie says hopefully.

"No, your Mum still has a key," Draco says, "She would just come in. You two stay up here, I'll see who it is."

The kids nod, seemingly uninterested in knowing who is at the door. Draco leaves the library where they have been sitting together and closes the door behind him. He is wary of someone calling so late so he puts up a silencing charm on the door, just to be on the safe side.

As he descends the stairs the knocking gets more frantic and Draco finds himself darting towards the door. By the time he yanks it open his heart is already pounding and when he sees who is standing on the doorstep his fears worsen.

"Weasley," Draco says in alarm. Has Pansy followed through on her threat?

Ron Weasley looks very sinister as he says, "Can I come in Malfoy? We need to talk."

Draco gives him a single nod and steps away from the door. Ron steps in and Draco pushes the door shut behind him, "What's wrong?"

"Hermione," Ron says. He looks pale and exhausted, "She's in St. Mungo's."

All of the colour drains from Draco's face, "What?"

Ron sighs, "Her condition is critical Malfoy. There was an... incident at the house in the Forest of Dean. Harry is currently in a holding cell in the Ministry, he's awaiting sentencing."

Draco grips the banister for support, "What happened?" he asks quietly.

"It seems like they were having an argument," Ron replies, "It looks like Harry lost control of his magic and it pulsed out like an explosion. The Healers are saying that Hermione was thrown back into a wall, she has head injuries."

Draco swallows back the sick that he can feel rising in his throat.

"I am going to have to ask for a statement about Hermione's mental state when you last saw her," Ron says, "But at the moment, I'm here to transport you and your children to St. Mungo's. She's-" he cuts himself off.

"How bad is she?" Draco asks, meeting Ron's eyes and seeing the pain in them.

"The healers are saying that she might not make it through the night," Ron replies, unable to keep eye contact with Draco.

Draco's grip on the bannister tightens and Ron reaches out to steady him. Draco takes a shaky breath and looks up at the redhead who seems strangely sympathetic. He is unsure what to do or what to say. All he knows is that he somehow has to tell the children about this, and he is terrified of losing Hermione.

Before anymore can be said between Ron and Draco however, the floo in the living room roars to life and Hannah bursts into the entrance hall with red cheeks and odd shoes on, "Draco!" she gasps as she throws herself into her arms, "I've just heard. Do the kids know?"

Draco can only shake his head, "I... can't."

Hannah nods her understanding. She forces him into a sitting position on the stairs and turns to Ron, "He's in shock. Give him something for it."

"Like a whiskey?" Ron asks.

Hannah glares at him, "No you idiot, like a calming draught!" she snaps.

Ron's cheeks flush as Hannah turns away from him and looks at Draco, "I'm going to explain to the kids and then you're putting your coat on so we can go to the hospital, okay?"

Draco can only nod in response.

* * *

"Hey Aunt Hannah," Scorpius says cheerfully when she steps into the library.

Hannah gives the children a weak smile, "Grab your coats and put your shoes on guys, we're going out."

"Where?" Cassie asks with a frown.

"Why?" Scorpius asks at the same time.

Hannah takes a calming breath and replies, "Your Mum has been hurt and she's in hospital so we need to go and visit her. Your Dad is just waiting downstairs for us, okay?"

"Hurt?" Scorpius asks with wide, terrified eyes.

"How badly hurt?" Cassie asks, looking as sick as Hannah feels.

"I don't know yet," Hannah replies honestly, "And we won't know until we go and visit her, so come on."

They all make their way downstairs silently. Cassie and Scorpius don't say a word as they put their shoes and coats on but their eyes do linger on their Father who looks numb. Hannah helps Draco into his coat as they follow Ron to the fireplace.

He opens up a connection to the Aurors reception area in St. Mungo's and they traipse through the fireplace one by one, emerging in a large reception area occupied only by Aurors who seem to be guarding the door to a room. Hermione's room.

"Can the family see her?" Ron asks one of the Aurors.

"Doc!" The Auror calls into the room.

The door slides open by a small fraction and a Healer emerges. He shuts the door behind him and looks at the people standing before him, "Are you the family of Hermione Granger?"

Draco nods, "I'm her...ex-husband and these are our children."

The Healer nods grimly, "Then I need to speak to you but not with the children in earshot."

Hannah takes the point and steers Cassie and Scorpius away from the door. When they are gone the Healer looks directly at Draco and says, "She has sustained serious injuries. The broken bones were easily fixed, as was the punctured lung but the head is not so easy to fix."

Draco swallows and nods, "What does that mean?"

"She hit her head very hard," The Healer explains quietly, "The force has caused some swelling on the brain. We've had to do some major surgery to allow the brain to swell. We hope that our potions and spells are bringing the swelling down but we have put Hermione into a medically induced coma while her body heals itself."

"Why did you say she might not make it through the night?" Draco asks.

The Healers eyes darken, "If her brain doesn't stop swelling soon then...the damage is going to be irreparable. We won't know until the morning if the swelling has stopped, or if anything we are doing is bringing it down."

Draco swallows and takes a step back, "Can we see her?"

The Healer nods, "She won't be responsive and she is heavily bandaged so seeing her could be traumatic for the children."

"Not as traumatic as not being able to say goodbye to their Mother," Draco says, his voice is incredibly strained.

The Healer simply bows his head and steps back into the hospital room. Draco turns around and motions his children over.

He kneels down at their level and speaks softly, "Mum has been involved in an accident. She's got a sore head so there are a lot of bandages there and she's sleeping so that her body can heal itself but we can go in and say hello to her. Okay?"

The children both nod silently. Hannah grabs Draco's hand and gives him a supportive glance as the door to the hospital room opens and they all walk in.

Hermione looks so broken as she lies in that hospital bed. Her head is heavily bandaged, but no blood or gore can be seen. Her face is covered in small cuts and bruises and she has clearly broken at least one bone in her right leg and her left arm. Scorpius bursts into tears when he sees his Mother. Hannah ends up consoling him while Cassie stands by her Mothers bedside, her hand in Draco's.

* * *

"Do you have any ID?"

Neville slaps his wand onto the desk at the reception area of the justice department a little too violently. The wizard on duty scans it, "Confirm your address."

"The white cottage, Hogsmeade," Neville says quietly.

"Date of birth?"

"30th of July, 1980."

The wizard nods and puts the wand under the desk in a box, "Do you have any other weapons on you?"

"No," Neville replies, "Can I go in now?"

The wizard eyes him sceptically, "You're not going to kill him with your bare hands, are you?"

"As much as I would like to right now, no," Neville replies.

The wizard doesn't look quite convinced but he nods, "Yeah, you can go in. It's holding cell 2 and..." he glances at the security drones, "I wouldn't blame you if you punched him. I hate women beaters."

Neville gives a stiff nod as he yanks open the heavy metal door to holding cell 2. He steps in and shuts it loudly behind him. The room is enveloped in darkness, the only light being a small candle that has almost burnt out. The cell is lined with lead which also means that it is magic proof.

Curled up into a ball at the far end of the room is a small figure that Neville knows to be Harry.

"What the hell have you done?" Neville asks, the venom in his voice unmistakable.

"Is she dead?" Harry asks in a whisper.

"She's in a coma in intensive care," Neville says darkly, "She's fighting for her life."

Harry lets out a small noise akin to a sob, "I'm sorry Neville. I didn't mean to...I lost...I lost control."

"And now you could lose Hermione!" Neville shouts, "We could all lose Hermione! Her children could lose their Mother!"

Harry doesn't say anything more. He just sobs into his chest noisily, the sound is heart-breaking.

"Why?" Neville asks in a dangerous tone of voice, "What made you break after _12 years_ of sobriety?"

"Cassie," Harry whispers. He looks up at Neville with wide, terrified eyes and he seems to be so lost, "She's mine."

"I know," Neville admits.

This news would normally have sent Harry flying off the handle. Instead he just gives a small nod.

"How much did you drink?" Neville asks.

"I don't know," Harry replies shakily, "I just felt so angry and so betrayed and I couldn't..." his voice trails off as it becomes choked in his throat, "I never meant to hurt her, _never_."

"Well you did hurt her," Neville says, still very much on Hermione's side here, "And now you've ruined your own life and if Hermione doesn't make it through the night, you've ruined a lot of others too!"

"I know," Harry says tearfully, "But he knew Neville."

"Who knew?"

"Malfoy," Harry whispers, "He knew he was raising my daughter and he rubbed it in my face every Christmas and every birthday. He let her run around calling him Dad while I was just Uncle Harry and he knewthe whole time. Has he just been laughing behind my back for years? Have him and Hermione both just been laughing at me?"

"Oh shut the hell up!" Neville snaps, "You certainly have no right to feel sorry for yourself after what you just did! The only person you have to blame for this is yourself! If you hadn't gotten out of St. Mungo's that day and gotten drunk you would have remembered fathering Hermione's child! You were a useless waste of space back then and I'm not convinced you're any better now! You didn't deserve to be a Father and Cassie deserved better than you!"

"And Malfoy was better," Harry says.

Neville isn't sure if it is a question or a statement, "Yes," he says coolly, "He might have been a troubled kid but you are a troubled adult! He grew up, he worked hours and hours of overtime to pay for that cot Cassie loved so much. He painted the room by hand while _you_ were wasting away in rehab! He loved that girl as his own before she was born, he loved her just as much when he found out that she wasn't even his and he raised her as his own when she was the daughter of a man he hated. And I'll tell you what Harry, I respect him a hell of a lot for that."

Harry's head falls into his hands and he clenches his hands into fists as he pathetically begins to sob helplessly. Neville sighs as he is reminded of the last time he had been in this situation with his best friend.

" _She married Malfoy! She's having his fucking child!" Harry spits as he paces Neville's living room, "She betrayed me! She completely betrayed me!"_

 _The entire room begins to shake and Neville can feel Harry's magic begin to get out of control._

" _No way Harry," Neville says firmly, "Not in my house."_

 _Harry's fist clenches harder as he tries to control his magic. Neville throws out both of his hands. He splays his hands wide open and slowly begins to clench them into fists, as he does so the shaking eases and when his hands are clenched shut, it has stopped._

 _Harry's breathing is heavy and Hannah is watching from the bottom of the stairs with a raised eyebrow. Neville places a comforting hand on Harry's shoulder as Hannah steps carefully into the room_.

" _You are wasting your life on the Herbology students of Hogwarts," Hannah says with a slight smile, "With magic as powerful as that, and the magical skill you have, you could do anything. You could be Head Auror and we could be rich. Instead we live in this tiny little cottage with a garden bigger than the place itself and a roof that leaks every winter. You're always stinking of mud, and-"_

" _\- Hannah," Neville begins to say in an apologetic sort of tone._

 _Hannah smiles softly at her husband, "I wasn't finished Neville. I was going to finish with, and I wouldn't change a single thing about it."_

 _Neville smiles slightly, "You can head on up to bed. I've got things under control here. I'm just going to lock Harry in the underground room overnight so that he doesn't have that drink he's tempted to have. We're determined to keep him sober this time, aren't we?"_

 _Harry nods and trudges miserably after Neville towards the backdoor. They dash through the rain to the back of the garden where there is a metal trapdoor. Neville unlocks it and leads Harry downwards. The lights automatically come on when they walk into the small cell. It is lined with lead and it is where Neville keeps experimental plants that have the potential to be explosive. It also has the advantage of being magic proof, and nobody can apparate through lead walls either so it is probably the safest place for Harry._

"I'll get you a lawyer."

"No," Harry says sharply, "I didn't use my one floo call to you so that you could get me a lawyer Neville. I don't need a lawyer."

"You're being charged with culpable manslaughter Harry," Neville says bluntly, "You need a lawyer."

Harry shakes his head, "No, I need redemption and the only way I'm going to get that is to pay for what I've done. I'll plead guilty."

"You'll go to Azkaban," Neville says.

"I deserve to go to Azkaban," Harry says, looking at Neville with wide, bloodshot eyes, "If she dies..."

"You don't know that Harry," Neville says firmly, "Hermione is a fighter, she always has been."

Harry swallows a lump in his throat, "I'll take the punishment that fits the crime."

Neville sighs, "I don't care what you say, I'm getting you a lawyer."

"I'll still plead guilty," Harry warns him.

Neville however sticks to his guns as a buzzer announces that his visiting time is over, "I _am_ getting you a lawyer," he says with a note of finality as he leaves the cell.

* * *

"I am so sorry," Draco whispers as he sits in a chair by Hermione's bed. His hand is resting delicately in hers and he can't take his eyes off of her for fear that if he does she might just slip away.

His head pounds and his eyes sting from the tears he has shed tonight. The hospital is silent, all that can be heard is the distant hoot of an owl in the distance. Hannah has taken Cassie and Scorpius back to her house where she is keeping a close watch on them until Draco can give her news of Hermione.

Draco is praying to a God that he has never believed in that she will last through the night. He is whispering encouragements and apologies until his voice feels raw and sounds hoarse.

When the door opens sometime in the dead of the night, he assumes that it is a Healer coming to check up on Hermione's condition. He doesn't expect Ron Weasley to sit down next to him, shedding his Auror cape by the door as he does so.

The two men are silent as Ron takes Hermione's other hand. There is no tension in the air as there would once have been but each man can sense the other one's fear.

"This is all my fault," Draco whispers, feeling the need to come clean to someone.

"The person at fault is the one being prosecuted for culpable manslaughter," Ron says in a strange tone of voice.

Draco shakes his head and turns his tearstained face to the Auror, "No, you don't understand Weasley. If I hadn't run for Minister for Magic none of this would have happened. That was what began to split us up and if we had stayed together she would never have gone back to Potter and-" he cuts himself off as his voice dies in his throat.

Ron sighs and looks down at Hermione's pale, small form, "You can't blame yourself Malfoy. If you spend your life thinking about the what if's, you'll drive yourself insane."

Draco swallows visibly, "But if she doesn't make it, that's all I will be able to do."

"She'll make it," Ron says, a fire burning in his eyes, "She's Hermione Granger. The war didn't beat her and no burst of accidental magic will either. She's stronger than that."

Draco looks unconvinced as he looks down at the woman who had once been his wife, "I hope so," he can only say.

* * *

"Where's Draco?"

"With Hermione in the hospital," Narcissa replies as she stands on the doorstep of the home Draco and Hermione had once shared, "And you ought to be thankful that my grandchildren aren't here. Seeing you is the last thing that they need right now."

Pansy frowns, "Why?"

"Their Mother has been attacked," Narcissa replies coolly, "She is in a critical condition in St. Mungo's. I am currently waiting for Draco to let me know if she has lived through the night."

Pansy's eyes flash dangerously and Narcissa notices, "How dare you even think about being thankful for this? Your obsession with my son is frankly quite disturbing. I know you deliberately got a place on his campaign to worm your way back into his life and I know that everything you have done since then has been part of a manipulative plan."

"Like what?" Pansy counters.

"Like leaking the news and photographs of the affair to The Prophet," Narcissa challenges, "And engineering this pregnancy to force him into marrying you. He has made his decision, marrying you goes against his wishes and the welfare of his children."

"That's not the choice he made when presented with the consequences," Pansy says with a small smile, "He wasn't too keen on me telling the press about what I saw him do during the war. He said it would never get out, after all I _am_ the only living witness and I have been ever since your husband killed himself in Azkaban."

Narcissa narrows her eyes at her, "You would not dare."

"Oh, I would," Pansy smirks.

"You are a vile girl," Narcissa says coldly, "And I would kindly ask you to leave right now and never darken my son's doorstep again."

Pansy takes a step back and gives Narcissa a smile, "Do tell Draco that I send my very best to Hermione," she says before spinning on her heel and walking down the garden path.

* * *

"What's happening?"

Neville takes his coat off and looks at his wife. She is sitting at the bottom of the stairs with dark marks beneath her eyes.

"Have you slept?"

"No," Hannah replies softly, "How could I when I'm waiting to hear if my best friend is going to survive?"

Neville glances out of the window as dawn begins to break, "How bad is it?"

"Her brain is swelling and if it doesn't stop she will never wake up," Hannah replies in a low whisper, "In the odd chance that she does, she won't be the same Hermione again."

Neville swallows his anger and sits down next to her at the bottom of the stairs, "Is Draco with her?"

Hannah nods, "Cassie and Scorpius are here. They're sleeping in our bed tonight; they don't know how bad the situation is."

Neville gives her a small nod, "Do you think I should go and see Draco? Do you think knowing that Harry will pay for this will make a difference?"

"Not until he knows if she's going to be okay or not," Hannah replies, "Until then, I don't think he cares about anything."

"Well Harry is going to jail for this one," Neville says quietly, "There are accidents and then there is...this."

Hannah doesn't have the energy to launch into a rant aimed at Harry. She can only nod as the floo whirs to life in the living room.

She and Neville are both on their feet in seconds. They rush into the room, answering the floo without performing the usual identification charms. As they have expected, Draco's head appears in the fireplace.

"How is she?" Hannah asks desperately.

"Stable," Draco replies, "The swelling began to reduce last night. She's going to be kept in a coma for at least a week, but she's going to be okay."

Hannah and Neville both breath sighs of relief, "Oh thank Merlin."

Draco can only nod.

"You look exhausted Draco," Hannah says, "Go home and get some sleep. The kids will be fine here for a little longer."

"Are you sure?" Draco asks, "I feel that we've imposed on you enough over the years."

"Don't be ridiculous," Neville says, "That's what Godparents are for. Go home and get some sleep Draco."

"I will," Draco says, "Thank you, for everything."

Neville manages to give him a weak smile, "You're welcome."

* * *

When Draco drags himself into his house all he wants is to go to bed and sleep for hours. When he sees his Mother waiting for him in an armchair, he knows that is unlikely to happen.

"How is she?" Narcissa asks.

"Stable," Draco replies, gripping the fireplace to keep himself steady, "She's going to stay in the coma for at least a week but she's going to be okay."

"Thank Merlin," Narcissa sighs, "Do the children know?"

"Neville and Hannah are telling them," Draco says, "I've been awake all night at the hospital, I need sleep."

Narcissa nods and places her hand on his arm, "I understand, but I must talk to you Draco. You see, you had a visitor this morning."

Draco's eyes darken, "What did she want?"

"I know that she's blackmailing you into marrying her," Narcissa says, her eyes flashing, "And I don't like to see you being treated like that."

"There is nothing you can do about it Mother," Draco says dryly, "Frankly I thought you would be delighted at the prospect of me marrying Pansy."

"I may not have liked Hermione very much," Narcissa admits, "But I do respect that she is the mother of my grandchildren. They mean a great deal to me and their Mother means a great deal to them. Pansy has no regard for that, she has no regard for your children at all and marrying her would make them most unhappy."

"I know that," Draco snaps, "But not marrying her means Azkaban and that's certainly not the best thing for them."

Narcissa fixes her son with a look, "Draco, I will find a way to stop Pansy from blackmailing you. I will not let you marry her, trust me."

"I do," Draco sighs, "But I am exhausted Mother. Can I please just go to bed?"

"Of course," Narcissa says softly, "I will pick the children up from Neville and Hannah's this evening and take them to see their Mother if you wish?"

"That would be great," Draco says, giving her a small smile, "Thank you."

* * *

Hannah tiptoes into her bedroom expecting to find Cassie and Scorpius fast asleep. Instead she finds Cassie sitting up in bed hugging her brother. Both are wide awake and wide eyed when Hannah enters the room.

"Is she okay?" Cassie asks.

Hannah nods and manages a comforting smile, "The healers are going to keep her asleep for a week or so while her body heals itself but she's going to be just fine."

Scorpius nods and cuddles his sister. Relief floods Cassie's face as she asks, "Where's Dad?"

"He's gone home," Hannah replies, "He stayed up all night with your Mum in the hospital so he needs some sleep. Your Grandma just floo-ed though. She's going to pick you up later today and take you to the hospital to see your Mum. Have you two slept at all?"

Both children shake their heads so Hannah says, "Go to Frank's room then Scorpius. He's off to his tutor, you can have a nap there."

"On you go Scorp," Cassie says gently, "You go to sleep and then we'll go see Mum later, okay?"

Scorpius nods and pads out of the room in his socks. Hannah pushes the door shut and sits down on the edge of the bed, "How are you doing Cassie?"

"I don't understand how she got hurt," Cassie says, a frown forming on her face, "Why won't anyone tell us?"

"Because it was hard to do that in front of Scorp," Hannah replies honestly, "It was an accident that hurt your Mum. Your Uncle Harry...he has an illness. He can't quite control his magic and sometimes it accidentally bursts out."

"Uncle Harry did this to Mum?" Cassie asks as tears well up in her eyes.

"Not on purpose," Hannah assures Cassie, "He needs to see a doctor so that they can try and fix the problem. He can't control it Cassie, he would never hurt your Mum on purpose."

"Is he in hospital too?" Cassie asks.

Hannah shakes her head, "He only had minor injuries. They treated him and then the Aurors took him into holding in the Ministry. You see, until your Mum wakes up and makes a statement, they can't sentence him."

"They're sending him to jail?" Cassie asks in a horrified whisper.

"They don't know yet," Hannah says gently, "It all depends on what your Mum says when she wakes up. If she says that it was an accident, then he won't go anywhere. Okay?"

Cassie nods slowly, "Okay."

* * *

"Good morning Mr. Potter."

Harry doesn't look up when the door to his cell opens. Nor does he look up or reply to the friendly greeting. He keeps his eyes firmly on the ground as the redheaded women stands in the doorway.

"I'm Megan Jones and I'm the lawyer who has been assigned to your case," Megan continues, "I'm here to take a statement about the night Hermione Granger was injured."

Harry remains silent and Megan sighs, "The Aurors said you hadn't been talking. How do you expect me to defend you in the Wizengamot if you don't give me any information?"

"I don't," Harry says, his voice was hoarse from lack of use and a lack of drinking any water too, "I don't want a lawyer and I don't want to be defended. I'll take the punishment and go to Azkaban for what I did."

"So you're pleading guilty?" Megan asks.

Harry only nods.

"What charge are you pleading guilty to exactly?" Megan asks, "Because nobody has died and as far as the Aurors can see, it looks like a burst of accidental magic caused the accident."

Harry looks up at the rather intimidating looking woman, "Hermione's okay?"

"She's in a stable condition," Megan replies, "Still in a coma according to the statement her ex-husband released this morning but she will wake up and she will be okay."

Harry breathes a small sigh of relief. It is some small comfort amongst everything he is feeling.

"Do you want to change your plea?" Megan asks pointedly.

Harry shakes his head, "I was drunk and it was my fault. I deserve to be punished."

Megan simply sighs and grabs the door handle, "I can tell _you_ are going to be a difficult client," she says as she steps out of the cell, leaving Harry alone once more.

* * *

"Is my son likely to kill Harry Potter?"

Neville sighs and admits Narcissa Malfoy into his home, "I am slightly concerned that he would if it weren't for the fact Harry is in a holding cell in the Ministry. How is Draco?"

"Sleeping off the effects of the past few days," Narcissa replies honestly, "I hope Potter will be punished for this?"

"Unless Hermione drops the charges when she wakes up, yes," Neville replies.

Narcissa nods, "Good. Domestic abuse is a rather unseen crime in this world Mr. Longbottom. It is about time that it is being viewed as a serious threat."

Neville nods his agreement, "Cassie and Scorpius are just out the back if you want to go and grab them. I think they're planting roses with Hannah."

Narcissa smiles, "Lovely."

"Is Draco at the house?" Neville asks as he escorts Narcissa to the backdoor, "I do need to speak to him about what's happened."

"He's not long awake, but he is still at the house," Narcissa says, stepping into the back garden with Neville, "And he asked me to thank you for looking after the children."

Neville shakes his head, "As I said to him earlier, he never needs to thank us for doing our job as Godparents."

Narcissa gives him a stiff nod and they part ways. She makes her way over to the children who are by the greenhouse with Hannah. Neville on the other hand makes his way towards the gate. The moment he has locked it behind him he spins on his heel and apparates to Draco's home.

He walks up the garden path and knocks loudly on the door. It swings open of its own accord and Draco's voice calls, "Come in!" from the room Neville knows to be his study.

Neville steps into the house, closing the door behind him. He walks into the study where Draco is pouring over piles and piles of paper, "What are you doing?"

"Searching for a way to ensure that Harry Potter never gets any rights to custody over Cassie," Draco replies.

"I think what happened yesterday is going to be proof enough," Neville points out.

"I'd like to have a back-up anyway," Draco says, "Just in case."

"It was actually Harry that I came here to talk to you about," Neville admits, "Do you have a moment?"

Draco stops pouring over the files for a moment and looks at Neville, "Go on."

"He's going to stay in holding while he's awaiting sentencing," Neville explains, "Which will be until Hermione wakes up. If she presses charges, he's looking at being fined for drinking and doing magic. Then there's the possibility of a short spell in jail for nearly killing her."

"And if she decides not to press charges?" Draco asks.

"Then Harry will be released," Neville replies, "There will be conditions of course. I expect they will force him through another bout of rehab, fully inclusive with PTSD management."

Draco shakes his head angrily, "So he gets off scot free."

"Essentially," Neville replies.

Draco sits down behind his desk and studies Neville, "Hermione won't press charges. You know that Neville."

"I know," Neville sighs, "And I don't think that means Harry will get away from this unscathed. It's gone public now, he's going to have to come clean about his past to the press. That in itself will ruin this image they have of him being some golden hero."

"So he loses his reputation and Hermione nearly loses her life?" Draco scoffs, "You really think that's a fair trade?"

"He's going to lose a lot more than his reputation," Neville says, "Hermione will not get back together with him after this and she certainly won't let him anywhere near Cassie. If he wanted a chance to be a Father to her, he blew it."

"He's not going anywhere near my daughter," Draco says firmly, "That's one thing that I'm certain of. Until he's entirely sober and so apologetic he gets down at my feet and begs, he's having nothing to do with her."

Neville nods, "I agree with you."

Draco looks up with a slightly amused smile on his face, "So miracles really do happen."

 **TBC :)**


	19. The Punishment & the Crime

**Fade Into You**

 **Chapter 19 - The Punishment & the Crime  
**

"I just heard the news from Australia. How is she?"

Oliver steps back and says, "Come in for a coffee, I'll fill you in."

Chelsea nods and steps into his small apartment. He leads her into the living room/kitchen and sets the kettle on to boil, "Did you come all the way from Australia?"

Chelsea nods, "I was going to go visit Hermione in hospital but I didn't know if they were letting visitors in. I figured you would know what was going on, since you're her researcher. I tried to floo Harry and call him, but I never got an answer."

"That's because he's in a holding cell in the Ministry," Oliver says, spooning instant coffee into mugs, "Do you take sugar?"

"Two," Chelsea replies, "And what do you mean, he's in a holding cell?"

"He was arrested for causing the accident that put Hermione in hospital," Oliver explains, "The one they are calling a 'mysterious' unexplained incident."

"Harry did that?" Chelsea asks in disbelief, "But he loves Hermione!"

"I don't know much more than you Chelsea," Oliver admits, "But from what I have heard, I don't think it was something he did on purpose. My friend in the Auror office said it looked like an explosion of accidental magic, similar to the one that killed Kendra Dumbledore."

Chelsea frowns, "But Ariana Dumbledore was a child who suppressed her magic. Surely someone as powerful as Harry can control his?"

"I don't know," Oliver says, "Imagine having that much magic. I don't think I would be able to control it and with Harry having problems in the past with alcohol..."

"You think he relapsed," Chelsea realises.

Oliver nods grimly, "But the good news is that Hermione is going to be okay. I spoke to Seb who was in contact with her ex-husband. She's out of the danger zone but she's going to be in hospital for at least a week, probably more like two."

"What are we going to do about the show?" Chelsea asks, "Seb and Peter are freaking out! One of the stars is in hospital and the other is in a holding cell? We have the Australia vs Ireland match tomorrow!"

"Calm down," Oliver says, gripping Chelsea's shoulders, "We're going to be on our own from now on. If we're lucky Hermione will be back for the final, but we're going to have to improvise until then. I'll report from the pitch for the Australia vs Ireland match and you can stay in the studio."

"I'll just have to talk to the guests on my own," Chelsea says with a nod, "I'll take over Hermione's parts in the script."

"But there won't be any challenges obviously," Oliver says.

"And I'll have to make an announcement at the start of tomorrow's show," Chelsea adds, "To let the viewers and listeners know what's going on."

Oliver smiles at her, "See? It's going to be fine. Do you want to grab some parchment so we can start rewriting the show?"

"I'll come back round later," Chelsea says, "But I really need to go and see Hermione. Do you know where she is?"

"Intensive care ward at St. Mungo's," Oliver replies, "Oh and Chelsea, do you like spaghetti bolognaise?"

Chelsea frowns, "Yes...why?"

Oliver smiles at her, "You should never write a show on an empty stomach. Shall we say 8?"

Chelsea smiles back at him, "Sure. I'll see you at 8, Oliver."

* * *

When Chelsea steps into Hermione's hospital room she is expecting it to be empty. She gets a shock when she sees Hermione's daughter, Cassie, sitting by her bed.

"Oh sorry, I'll come back later," Chelsea says, "I didn't mean to disturb you."

Cassie looks up and shakes her head, "No you should stay. You're my Mum's friend, aren't you?"

Chelsea nods, "I am. How is your Mum doing?"

"Good," Cassie replies, "The healer says her head is getting better really fast and that she might wake up in a few days instead of a week."

Chelsea smiles, "Good, I'm glad. I just came to check up on her, I was worried."

"That's nice of you," Cassie says thoughtfully, "Are you friends with my Dad too?"

"No," Chelsea replies, "I don't know your Dad very well. I just work with your Mum and your Uncle Harry."

"Uncle Neville says he's going to jail," Cassie says quietly, "For accidentally hurting Mum. Does that mean I'll go to jail if I accidentally hurt Scorp when he's annoying me?"

Chelsea laughs, "No, of course not. This is a little more serious, even if it was an accident. Your Mum could have been really seriously hurt which is why your Uncle Harry is going to be questioned about what happened when she wakes up."

"I don't think my Mum will want to be Uncle Harry's girlfriend anymore," Cassie says with a frown, "Do you?"

Chelsea sits down on the edge of the bed and decides that honesty is going to be the best policy with this precocious little girl, "I don't think so. I think your Mum is going to be quite angry at your Uncle Harry."

"She was happy when she was his girlfriend," Cassie frowns, "And I liked it when she was happy."

"She has a lot of things that make her happy," Chelsea assures Cassie, "She talks about you and your little brother all of the time. She has lovely friends too, like your Aunt Hannah and Uncle Neville. She doesn't need to be Harry's girlfriend to be happy."

"Do you promise?" Cassie asks, looking up at Chelsea.

Chelsea gives the girl a comforting smile, "I promise. Now, here's a more serious question for you. When do you start Hogwarts?"

"This September," Cassie replies, brightening up at the mention of the school, "My birthday is the 4th of August so Mum says I just qualified to start this year."

"Have you got all of your school supplies bought yet?" Chelsea asks her, "All of your books and clothes?"

Cassie shakes her head, "Not yet. Mum said she would take me when the cup finished."

"Ah, well that makes a lot of sense," Chelsea says kindly, "What about your pet? Have you decided what you want yet?"

"I want a kitten," Cassie says eagerly, "My Mum had a really old cat called Crookshanks when I was little. He was ugly but I loved him."

Chelsea laughs, "That's how I feel about most of my ex-boyfriends."

This makes Cassie laugh and as she does so, Hermione's fingers twitch, "Did you see that?"

"See," Chelsea smiles, "Your Mum loves you and your brother more than anything else in this world. That's why she's fighting to wake up and see you."

Cassie nods, looking intently at her Mother, "Thanks for cheering me up Chelsea, you're the best. When I'm older like you, I want to be on the radio too."

"Dream big Cassie," Chelsea smiles, "You can achieve anything you want with a little bit of hard work."

Cassie nods, and appears to mull these words over.

Chelsea pushes herself to her feet and says, "Tell your Mum I hope she gets better soon when she wakes up. I've got to go and prepare for tomorrow's game."

"Good luck," Cassie says with a smile as Chelsea leaves the hospital room.

* * *

"I can't defend him in the Wizengamot if he won't speak to me Neville."

Neville sighs into his coffee cup, "I know Megan, but he doesn't want to be defended. He thinks he deserves to go to Azkaban."

"He has an illness," Megan says softly, "He doesn't deserve to be in Azkaban. He deserves treatment, _proper_ treatment Neville not the shit they called 'rehab' back when he was an alcoholic. Half starving him and forcing him through cold turkey was never going to work."

"It worked for 12 years," Neville points out.

Megan shakes her head, "No, getting out and seeing that the women he loved had left him for someone he had always deemed to be worse than him was what did that. It was a psychological thing, it gave him his fight back and he got better so that he could fight for her."

"What are you saying, Megan?" Neville asks, looking up at his old school friend.

"I'm saying that the methods they used weren't working because they never got to the source of it," Megan replies, "Trying to make him stop drinking because of the destruction it was causing wasn't the way to go. The way forward is to get at the root of his problems, he drinks because of the war. He has post-traumatic stress disorder, I'm sure of it."

"You're a lawyer Megan, not a Healer," Neville reminds her.

"It doesn't take a Healer to spot the symptoms," Megan says firmly, "He avoids talking about the war, he avoids going to fundraising events or memorial days. When someone does try to talk to him about it he gets aggressive or he runs from the conversation. He still carries so much guilt and shame with him from the war, that is what drives him to alcohol."

"Not this time," Neville says with a shake of his head, "He found out some shocking news..."

"You have to give me more than that if you want me to help him," Megan says, catching Neville's eye, "Don't you trust me?"

Neville frowns, "I'm not sure I trust anyone right now. Look Megan, all you need to know is that he found out he had been lied to for 12 years by someone he trusted."

"So he felt angry and betrayed," Megan says, "And mark my words, I'm certain that took him back to the war. Do you not think emotions such as extreme anger and betrayal remind him of those days?"

"I suppose they might," Neville concedes.

"We have to get to the heart of the problem to stop this happening again Neville," Megan says, "So I am going to get a psychiatric Healer to conduct an examination on Harry and if they back my opinion, then I have an argument to present to the Wizengamot."

"And what is that argument?" Neville asks.

"That Harry should be given no further punishment than a fine for damage to public property. I don't even think the drinking and doing magic fine should be upheld considering the fact that the magic was accidental. Harry wasn't even holding his wand at the time."

"Which is the only thing that saved Hermione," Neville reminds her.

"The important thing is that Hermione _is_ okay," Megan says, "I'm going to present the case that Harry has been suffering from severe PTSD for several years and that it has gone unseen and untreated. My suggestion is going to be a spell in Lake View."

"The mental hospital?" Neville asks in disbelief, "He's not insane, Susan."

"It's not a mental hospital," Megan says with a firm look, "It's a rehabilitation centre. A lot of people have been treated for PTSD there. The calm, isolated environment is far more comforting than a hospital. It is confined and Harry wouldn't be able to leave but he would be allowed visitors. If we want to stop this happening again, it's the only choice that we have."

"We?"

Megan nods, "You know I'm going to need you on my side to get Harry to agree to this and I know that you only want the best for Harry. So you're with me, aren't you?"

Neville sighs in a long-suffering way, "At the risk of making my best friend hate me, yes. It is the best thing, not just for him but for everyone around him too."

Megan nods and gives him a small triumphant smile, "Thank you Neville."

* * *

"I've got a few visitors for you Harry," Neville says as he steps into Harry's cell.

Harry looks up briefly, "Who?"

"Megan, your lawyer-" Neville begins.

"I told you, I don't _want_ a lawyer!" Harry snaps.

Neville remains firm, "And I've told you, I don't care. She has a Psychiatric Healer with her too. He needs to do an evaluation."

"To check if I'm insane?" Harry asks, a disbelieving look in his eyes.

"You have barely said a word in the four days you've been locked up in here," Neville says calmly, "And with what happened between you and Hermione, it all points towards undiagnosed PTSD. It can be cured Harry, the accidental magic can stop forever."

"There's nothing wrong with me," Harry says, ignoring Megan and the Healer who stands in the doorway, "I'm just a terrible person."

"No, that's the PTSD talking," Megan says, stepping forward, "And if you just let Healer Jones do his evaluation, we'll have proof of that."

"No," Harry says firmly, "I won't be sent to some loony bin!"

"For the love of Merlin Harry, think of your daughter!" Neville snaps, "You already love her and you're lying if you say that you don't want to be a part of her life. That is _never_ going to happen unless you let us help you. The Wizengamot will never grant you custody and Merlin knows that her Mother will not let you anywhere near her."

Harry is silent as Neville fumes in front of him. The taller man glares at Harry, "Isn't that what you want? To be a better Father to her? To be a better man than you are now?"

Harry nods numbly.

"Then please let Healer Jones do his evaluation," Neville says softly, he is almost begging Harry.

Harry bows his head slightly, "Fine, but I don't want anybody else in this room."

Neville visibly breathes a sigh of relief, "That's fine," he says as he gives Megan a pointed look, "We'll just wait outside."

Megan nods and they leave the cell, shutting the door behind them. The Healer steps into the room. He is a tall man with greying hair, but he doesn't seem at all imposing.

"My name is Warren Jones," He says as he sits down on the vacant camp bed across from Harry, "And I'm going to have to ask you to sign this before we start today."

Harry looks at the form he has been handed with a frown, "You want me to let you use veritaserum?"

"To get a true reading on your mental state, I have to," Jones says simply, "Otherwise all you will do is lie and no problem has ever been solved that way. As your friend said, think of your daughter."

Harry sighs and signs the piece of parchment with the quill Jones has handed him.

"I have two daughters," Jones says as he pulls veritaserum out of his satchel and measures out the smallest dose possible, "What age is she?"

"10," Harry replies, "11 in a few months."

"Hogwarts age then," Jones smiles, "I always found that to be such a sad time because my children were being sent away. But so happy too, because they both loved their time at the school so much."

Harry nods numbly as he is handed the veritaserum. He swallows it in one gulp, grimacing as he does so. He has no idea how brutal or how personal this evaluation is going to get, but he is already dreading it.

Jones smiles at him and says, "Let's start off simply. Can you confirm your full name and date of birth for me please?"

"Harry James Potter, born on the 31st of July, 1980," Harry replies.

"Thank you Harry," Jones says, "Now, I have to start by asking you this. Within the last month, have you been disturbed by memories or thoughts from a stressful or dangerous experience?"

"Yes," Harry replies.

"Can you elaborate on that for me?" Jones asks, "Can you tell me what the traumatic experience was and how you have been disturbed by it recently?"

"The war," Harry says as he stares at his feet, "When I found out that Cassie was my daughter I felt so angry. I can't remember feeling so angry since the war. That was how I felt afterwards, angry and ashamed and guilty. I just felt so useless, all of those people died and I did _nothing_ to help them."

"Take a deep breath and calm down," Jones instructs calmly but forcefully, "The war was a long time ago. Are you still feeling like this?"

"Only when I think about it," Harry replies, "And normally I try not to. But all of those people still died because of me."

"And you haven't gotten over that," Jones says.

Although it isn't a question, Harry shakes his head anyway.

"Do you ever avoid situations because they remind you of that traumatic experience?" Jones asks.

Harry nods, "I don't go to the Memorial Day Parade or the charity balls that they put on every year. I used to, but then I just got home and got drunk and I hurt...I hurt the people that I loved. That's why I don't go anymore."

"Because they remind you of the war, or the way you were afterwards?"

"Both," Harry replies.

"Have you been feeling cut off or distant from people at all recently?" Jones asks.

Harry sighs, "Since I found out about Cassie. At first I was just angry but then when I saw Hermione bleeding and..." he trails off, shaking his head as he does so, "I couldn't be angry anymore after I saw that. I just feel numb; I really do deserve to rot in Azkaban for what I did to her."

"No, you don't," Jones assures him, "I don't need to ask if you have been having angry outbursts or if you have been feeling irritable because I can see that for myself. Do you ever have difficulty concentrating?"

Harry shrugs, "Sometimes, but that's just because I'm locked up in this cell isn't it?"

"Is it?" Jones challenges, "Or did you feel like this before you got sober?"

Harry nods, his eyes looking into the distance, "But that feels so long ago."

"That doesn't mean that you are any better," Jones says calmly, "When you went to rehab before things were different. You don't need somewhere that forces the habit out of you Harry. You need therapy, you have got to talk about the war in order to move past it. The war is what drives you to alcohol, until you make peace with what happened back then you will never be truly better."

"But I was," Harry says, looking up at Jones, "I was until I found out that the woman I love lied to me for 12 years and concealed my daughter from me!"

"You were better but you weren't cured," Jones assures Harry, "If you had truly been cured then you would not have reached for a bottle to console yourself. You would have been angry, but you would not have been driven back to alcohol. The fact that you have relapsed is proof that you were never entirely better."

Harry sighs, "You're going to send me to Lake View, aren't you?"

"Would you rather go to Azkaban?" Jones counters, "Lake View has a very good rehabilitation centre."

"I don't need rehab, I won't drink again," Harry says irritably.

"I don't think you believe that," Jones says, "And I certainly do not. A spell in Lake View could make you the kind of Father that your daughter deserves. If you reject the option, the judge will send you to Azkaban. Do you understand?"

Harry nods. Jones hands him a small phial, "Here is the antidote to the veritaserum."

"Thanks."

Jones can see that he will not get any further with Harry so he steps out of the cell into the corridor where Megan and Neville have been watching the exchange via communication charms.

"So what is your recommendation Jones?" Megan asks the healer.

Jones sighs, "He is definitely suffering from PTSD. The symptoms have been dormant for a number of years but the discovery of this daughter he talks about has brought back the condition with a vengeance. I have to recommend a minimum spell of two weeks in Lake View."

Megan nods, "Can you make sure you owl that report to my office? The Wizengamot will need medical proof."

"Of course," Jones says.

"Oh and Jones," Neville adds, "I don't care how much they offer to pay you, don't you dare sell this to the prophet. If it leaks I will know that it was you and healer or not, I'll find you. Do you understand?"

"Perfectly well Mr. Longbottom," Jones says smoothly, "But as my work here is done, I shall take my leave."

Neville nods and ignores the glare Megan is giving him, "Thank you very much Mr. Jones."

"My pleasure," Jones replies as he walks down the corridor.

The moment he has turned the corner Megan turns on her old school friend, "Did you really just threaten a healer in front of a lawyer in the middle of the DMLE?"

"Harry's my best friend and while I think he has been a complete idiot, I don't want this being sold to the press," Neville defends himself.

"Neither do I, but I wouldn't threaten a healer in the DMLE either," Megan says in exasperation, "Sometimes I still wonder if I was dreaming on your wedding day that Hannah married you. I mean really?"

Neville rolls his eyes, "She definitely married me, against your advice. If I remember correctly, you called me reckless and a lost cause."

Megan snorts, "Yes well, I may not have been the _best_ bridesmaid ever but you _are_ reckless. I'll take back the lost cause part though."

Neville simply smirks at that comment and says, "Floo or owl me with any developments in Harry's case and _please_ try and make sure nobody leaks this to the prophet."

"Yes sir," Megan mutters sarcastically as they go their separate ways.

* * *

When Hermione opens her eyes, the world is incredibly blurry. Her head pounds and her body feels heavy and sore. As she blinks she hears the buzz of the hospital around her, and sees an orange blur above her.

"Hermione," A familiar voice says.

Hermione blinks harder and the world comes into focus. Above her is Ron, looking concerned and slightly horrific because to Hermione he has two eyes, two noses, well two of everything.

"Ron," She croaks, her voice feels hoarse and her throat sore.

"Don't talk," Ron says gently as he reaches for a bowl of ice next to the bed. He holds an ice cube against Hermione's lips until it has melted enough for her to swallow it. She clears her throat and blinks once more, the world finally comes into focus.

"How do you feel?" Ron asks.

"Sore," Hermione groans.

"I'm not surprised," Ron says as he took her hand, "You've had a rough week."

"It's been a week?" Hermione asks.

Ron nods, "Do you remember the accident?"

Hermione can't nod. It hurts her head too much, instead she just says, "Yes."

"All of it?" Ron asks, he is prodding but he is doing so gently.

"Yes, I remember who did it if that's what you are trying to get at Ron," Hermione says.

Ron's ears go red and Hermione smiles slightly, "You never have been very subtle."

"I know," Ron says, squeezing her hand, "And if you feel up to it, I do need to question you."

"So you're here as an Auror, not a friend," Hermione says.

Ron shakes his head, "I'm here as both."

"How is he?" Hermione asks, catching Ron's eye.

"I don't think you need to worry about him at the moment," Ron replies, "You need to focus on getting better yourself. We had a really scary close call with you Hermione."

Hermione frowns, "What happened?"

"You had head injuries," Ron replies, "Swelling to the brain. We weren't sure if you were going to live through the night. I was here for hours with Draco, just praying you would pull through."

Hermione manages a small smile, "I really must have been close to death if I brought you and Draco together."

Ron doesn't laugh, "It's not funny Hermione. None of this is funny. The fact one of my best friends nearly murdered the other and is now rotting in a holding cell is anything but funny."

"He's in jail?" Hermione asks, her eyes widening.

"No, he's in a holding cell in the DMLE," Ron replies, "He's awaiting sentencing and Neville is trying to get him off, as usual."

"And how is Draco?" Hermione asks, "Is he okay?"

"He is terrified of Harry getting custody of Cassie and he's doing everything he can with his lawyer to make sure that never happens," Ron says, meeting Hermione's eye, "Why did you never tell me that Harry was her Father?"

"How do you know?" Hermione whispers.

Ron raises an eyebrow at her, "I'm Assistant Head Auror Hermione, I'm not stupid. I put the pieces together as soon as I started working on this case and Draco confirmed it when I spoke to him yesterday about Harry's trial."

"Trial?" Hermione asks in shock, "Is he going to go to Azkaban?"

"I don't know," Ron replies, "He's going to get fined and they are tossing up on sending him to Azkaban or Lake View."

Hermione frowns, "Lake View? That's a mental hospital."

"It has a rehabilitation ward too though," Ron says with an irritated look, "They are saying that he has PTSD and that none of this is his fault. I'm sorry but accidental magic doesn't just happen. He can control his magic _until_ he's had a drink. He brought this upon himself."

"He's sick Ron," Hermione says, "The drinking and everything that comes with it...it's an illness."

"You better not take him back after this," Ron says darkly.

Hermione shakes her head, "I can't. Not after everything that has happened and I really am reluctant to give him a chance at being Cassie's Father. I mean Cassie doesn't even know about this mess yet and when she does find out...it's going to break her."

Ron gives her a sympathetic look, "You can't lie to her forever and the truth will mean more coming from you rather than the press."

"I know," Hermione says honestly.

"So what charges are you pressing against Harry?" Ron asks, clearing his throat as he gets back to business, "As it stands he's being charged with drinking and doing magic, reckless behaviour and damage to public property."

"We co-own the house, it's his property," Hermione replies.

"So you're dropping that one?" Ron asks.

Hermione nods, "I'm dropping all charges Ron."

"I knew you would say that," Ron says, looking her right in the eye, "But I thought for the smartest witch of our generation, you would be smarter than that."

"He's my best friend Ron," Hermione says gently, "I don't want him to go to jail. I'd do the same for you."

"I believe that," Ron admits, "But you aren't in love with me and that's the difference."

"Look, I just want to forget about all of this and move on," Hermione says honestly, "I'm finished giving Harry chances but I don't want him to go to jail either. He's going to be punished enough for what he did. The press will find out and there is no way he will get to be a Father to Cassie now."

"And he's lost you," Ron points out, "Again."

Hermione nods sadly, "I thought he was better. I really thought that there was a chance for us this time but I have to think about my children. He's too volatile, I can't put them in a situation like that."

Ron squeezes her hand, "I understand."

* * *

"You're being released."

"What?"

Megan smiles, "The charges against you have been dropped. We are still recommending a minimum of two weeks in Lake View though."

Harry frowns, "Who dropped the charges?"

"Hermione," Megan replies, "She's awake."

Harry breathes a sigh of relief, "And she's okay?"

"She's going to make full recovery," Megan confirms, "And she doesn't think you deserve any time in prison."

"She did ask me to give you a message though," Neville's voice says as he steps into the cell with a change of clothes for Harry, "She said that she was dropping the charges because she feels you have suffered enough."

"She won't let me see Cassie," Harry realises.

Neville shakes his head, "Not until you've been to Lake View. Even then you wouldn't be allowed to take Cassie out alone. Supervised visits only, another adult must always be present."

"Malfoy will never agree to that," Harry says.

"It's a joint decision," Neville says, "And Hermione is her biological parent, Draco isn't."

Harry sighs, "It's over, isn't it?"

"Of course it is," Neville replies, he has no sympathy for Harry, not this time, "She can't trust you after what happened. Hermione is a smart woman Harry and a sympathetic one too. She knows it wasn't your fault, but that doesn't change the fact that you have broken her trust. It took you 12 years to gain that trust back before."

"I know."

"So you'll go to Lake View?" Megan asks.

Harry nods and gets to his feet, "I'll go right now."

Neville smiles slightly, "Good, because I've booked you in for two weeks. If you're lucky, you'll see the QWC final."

"How is the show going?" Harry asks with a slight frown.

"Get changed and you'll get filled in on the way to Lake View," Neville says, throwing Harry his clothes.

* * *

"Chelsea!"

Chelsea smiles, "Hey Harry."

"I thought you might want some company for the journey," Neville says in amusement.

"The journey?" Harry asks with a frown, "How am I getting to Lake View exactly?"

"By car," Chelsea says with an amused smile as she gestures at the pink mini behind her, "Neville thought the drive would be therapeutic."

"Can you drive that thing, legally?" Harry asks sceptically.

"Yes, I passed my driving test," Chelsea says, raising an eyebrow at him.

Harry looks from Chelsea to Neville in disbelief, "It must be about a 6-hour drive to Lake View!"

"5 and a half, if the traffic isn't too bad," Chelsea corrects him, "And I have all the latest muggle pop music to keep you entertained. We're going to have the best little road trip ever Harry."

Harry shakes his head in exasperation, "This is my punishment, isn't it Neville? For refusing a lawyer and being a difficult client."

Neville smirks, "Well you might call 6 hours in a car with Chelsea a punishment, but a lot of young men will be very jealous of you."

Harry glares at him, "Fuck off."

Neville smiles broadly, "Have a fantastic road trip Harry!"

* * *

"Now _this_ is a Gryffindor anthem if I ever heard one," Chelsea shouts over the loud music in the car. She taps along to the rhythm of the song on the steering wheel.

Harry looks out of the window desperately hoping to see some greenery but they are barely even out of London yet and to make matters worse Chelsea has just begun to belt out the chorus of the muggle pop song that is blaring.

" _I got the eye of the tiger, a fighter. Dancing through the fire, cause I am a champion and you're going to hear me roar! Louder, louder than the lion cause I am the champion and you're going to hear me roar!"_

Harry grimaces and reaches towards the CD player. He presses the skip button and Chelsea looks up at him irritably, "What was that for?"

Harry smirks at her, "Don't quit your day job Chelsea."

Chelsea scoffs, "For that you can listen to Frozen."

"You do realise that I have no idea what that is, right?" Harry asks her.

She smiles wickedly and skips a few songs until a slow ballad begins to play. At first Harry thinks it is okay, especially since Chelsea is singing along quite softly (and rather nicely too). He finds himself getting quite relaxed in fact, for a short while anyway.

Until that is, the song begins to build and Chelsea's singing gets louder and louder (and even more out of tune as it does so).

" _Let it go! Can't hold it back anymore. Let it go, turn away and slam the door. I don't care what they're going to say! Let the storm rage on! The cold never bothered me anyway."_

Harry looks at her in disbelief, "Are you going to sing all the way to Lake View?"

"Neville did tell me to punish you," Chelsea says cheerfully, "Oh here comes the best bit! Sing with me Harry! _I'm never going back! The past is in the past! Let it go, let it go and I'll rise like the break of dawn! Let it go, let it go! That perfect girl is gone! Here I stand in the light of day! Let the storm rage oooooooooooooooooooooooonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn!"_

"Chelsea! There's punishment and _then_ there's your singing!" Harry grimaces, "For the love of Merlin, it's bad!"

Chelsea shoots him an amused look, "Don't worry, I'll give it a break. Do you want to know about the show?"

Harry nods, "Yes please. Anything but the singing."

Chelsea laughs, "Well the first semi-final match was pretty awesome. Australia did beat Ireland though and I was struggling to remain objective."

Harry chuckles, "What was the score?"

"320-310," Chelsea replies, glancing over at him, "It was epic. It all came down to who caught the snitch in the end and bloody McKray lost it because he got a nose bleed!"

Harry snorts in amusement, "Still, you can't complain with a score like that."

"Tell me about it," Chelsea says as she shakes her head, "I had a hell of a lot of work in the studio. I was doing Hermione's job as well as my own and Oliver was reporting from the match. Luckily we got Charlie Weasley in at the last minute to help with the analysis because that really is your job."

Harry nods and Chelsea says, "Bet you're gutted that you'll miss England's semi-final."

Harry shrugs, "A little, but getting better for...well it's more important."

"For Cassie?" Chelsea fills in, "I know that she's your daughter. I worked it out, a little while ago actually but it wasn't my place to tell you."

Harry sighs, "Seems like everyone apart from me knew."

Chelsea shakes her head, "That doesn't matter now though, does it? Getting better does."

"I want to be her Father," Harry admits.

"And you can't be right now," Chelsea says, "Not without Lake View. It's a great rehab facility Harry, trust me."

Harry frowns and looks over at her, "You've been there?"

Chelsea nods, keeping her eyes on the road, "When I first started out in the business I let things get out of control too much. I went to Lake View for a summer and it really put things into perspective for me."

"It's the best thing for everyone around me," Harry agrees, "Neville was right about that."

"Yeah," Chelsea says, somewhat awkwardly.

Harry glances down at his hands as they fall into silence.

"Do you want the music back on?" Chelsea asks sheepishly.

Harry snorts, "As long as you promise not to sing."

"Deal," Chelsea laughs.

* * *

"By the time he gets to Lake View, Harry really might be insane," Hannah jokes when Neville fills her in that evening.

"I'm sure he and Chelsea are getting along fine," Neville says, "You see, I may have happened to know that Chelsea spent a little time in Lake View not so long ago."

Hannah fixes her husband with an amused look, "You really are rather sneaky for a Gryffindor Mr. Longbottom."

Neville chuckles and grabs her around the waist, "You should know Mrs. Longbottom, you married me," he teases.

Hannah laughs and leans into his embrace, "Against my best friends wishes. She still thinks I made a mistake you know? She called you reckless yesterday when I had coffee with her."

"Is reckless really such a bad thing?" Neville asks, kissing Hannah on the cheek.

Hannah grins at him, "Nev, I think reckless is hot."

Neville chuckles in a rather sweet, embarrassed sort of way, "Well I'm starting to wonder if putting Harry and Chelsea in a car together for 6 hours was reckless. What do you think they're doing?"

"Oh I'm sure they're fine," Hannah says offhandedly, "What's the worst that can happen?"

* * *

" _Do you wanna build a snowman? I never see you anymore, come out the door. It's like you've gone awaaaaay. We used to be best buddies, and now we're not. I wish you would tell me whyyyyy. Do you wanna build a snowman?"_

Chelsea roars with laughter, "Are you seriously singing along to the soundtrack of Frozen with me?"

"It's catchy!" Harry argues, "Put 'Love is an Open Door' on again."

"We've listened to it 4 times already!" Chelsea exclaims as she ejects the CD, "I'm putting something a little more low key on."

"Low key?" Harry asks, "As in boring?"

"As in emotionally engaging," Chelsea says.

Harry rolls his eyes, "Personally I was enjoying this frozen stuff. It's a film you say?"

"Yes Harry, a film for _children_ ," Chelsea replies.

"Well I'll just have to use Teddy as an excuse to watch it then," Harry smirks, "How far from Lake View are we?"

"An hour, give or take traffic," Chelsea replies as she glances over at the satnav on the dashboard.

Harry sighs and leans back in his seat as Chelsea begins to sing under her breath, _"Say something, I'm giving up on you. I'm sorry that I couldn't get to you. Anywhere I would have followed you...say something, I'm giving up on you. And I will swallow my pride, you're the one that I love and I'm saying goodbye."_

Harry shuts his eyes tightly as thoughts of Hermione flood his mind, "Can you skip this one please?"

Chelsea inwardly curses and skips the song, "Sorry, I didn't think about...you know."

Harry just nods and tries to ignore the awkward silence. At least with the music playing the air isn't quite so tense between them.

This seems to be a CD of Chelsea's favourites song so she sings along to the next one too, " _What would I do without your smart mouth? Drawing me in and you kicking me out. You've got my head spinning, no kidding. I can't pin you down. What's going on in that beautiful mind? I'm on your magical mystery ride and I'm so dizzy. Don't know what hit me, but I'll be alright. My heads underwater but I'm breathing fine. You're crazy and I'm out of my mind... cause all of me loves all of you. Love your curves and all your edges, all your perfect imperfections. Give your all to me, I'll give my all to you. You're my end and my beginning, even when I lose I'm winning. Cause I give you all of me, and you give me all of you..."_

"Chels," Harry sighs, "Is this an album of love songs?"

Chelsea sighs heavily and skips the song, "You can't avoid listening to songs forever because they remind you of Hermione."

"Not every song reminds me of her," Harry says irritably, "Just the ones you like."

Chelsea shakes her head, "Well I'm not skipping this one because Sam Smith is one of my favourite singers of all time and if you can find a way to apply a song he sang about his _boyfriend_ to your fucked up thing with Hermione then I will be very impressed."

Harry rolls his eyes, "Whatever," he mutters as he shuts his eyes and tries to ignore his craving for a drink.

" _Guess it's true, I'm not good at a one-night stand. But I still need love cause I'm just a man. These nights never seem to go to plan. I don't want you to leave, will you hold my hand? Oh won't you stay with me? Cause you're all I need. This ain't love it's clear to see, but darling stay with me."_

Chelsea groans, "It's reminding you of her, isn't it?"

"Yep," Harry mutters.

Chelsea presses the skip button on the CD player a little aggressively and hits the accelerator a bit too hard. Harry resists the urge to roll his eyes and instead decides to look out of the window at the scenery of Cumbria. The sky is darkening and it looks like it is going to rain soon, typical.

" _You only need the light when it's burning low. Only miss the sun when it starts to snow. Only know you love her when you let her go. Only know you've been high when you're feeling low. Only hate the road when you're missing home. Only know you love her when you let her go, and you let her go."_

"Can we just turn the music off Chelsea, please?" Harry asks a little too loudly.

Chelsea ejects the CD and shoots Harry an annoyed look, "Happy?"

"Very!" Harry snaps as they fall into an awkward silence once more.

 **TBC :)  
**

 **A/N: I know none of these songs or movies were actually out in 2005 but just pretend they were!**


	20. Second Chances

**Fade Into You**

 **Chapter 20 - Second Chances  
**

"What's happening with the show?"

"The show should be the least of your worries," Draco murmurs.

"It's my work Draco," Hermione says, glancing over at her ex-husband, "I want to know how it's going."

"Just because they let you out of hospital, it doesn't mean you're better," Draco says quietly, "You need to rest for the week Hermione."

"This isn't the muggle world where an injury like this takes months to heal Draco," Hermione says softly, "Magic and healing here is so advanced. I really do feel much better. Apart from the dizzy spells and the headaches, I feel like my old self."

"That's not good enough to go back to work," Draco says, "The kids were terrified of losing you Hermione. They need to see you resting up, not hurting yourself."

"I don't want to go back to work," Hermione promises, her eyes fixed on Cassie and Scorpius who are sitting a short distance away. Cassie is reading a passage out of a book to her little brother while Hermione lies on the sofa.

Draco has barely left her side since she was released from St. Mungo's that morning, "I just want to know about the show."

Draco sighs, "Fine. The Saturday show went ahead, Chelsea did your part and her part in the studio. They got Charlie Weasley in to cover Harry's role and Oliver presented from the game."

"Who won?" Hermione asks.

"Australia," Draco replies, "320 to 310."

Hermione chuckles, "I bet Chelsea had a great time listening to that match. Do you think I'll be well enough to go back to work on Saturday?"

"2 weeks after nearly dying?" Draco combats, "I don't think so."

"But it's the semi-final and England are playing," Hermione argues.

Draco shakes his head, "The Healers said no apparating until Monday and the match is on Sunday."

"What's a day in the scheme of things?" Hermione asks.

"Potentially your life," Draco replies with a pointed look, "You'll be able to go back to work for the final. Isn't that enough?"

Hermione nods and gives Draco a small smile, "I suppose it is. Did Harry get a trial?"

Draco's eyes darken, "No, you dropped all of the charges."

"You aren't still angry about that," Hermione murmurs in an undertone.

"Of course I am," Draco says irritably, "He could have killed you and all he's getting in return is a spell in Lake View."

"So they did send him there?" Hermione asks.

"For two measly weeks," Draco adds, "He'll be out in time for the final. Can you believe that?"

"He's ill Draco," Hermione says, her eyes meeting his, "He needs help and therapy. It's the only way he will ever get better."

"You sound like you're thinking of taking him back," Draco says with narrowed eyes.

"I'm not," Hermione promises, "And why would you care if I was? You're marrying Pansy."

"I need to talk to you about that," Draco says under his breath, "Without the children around."

Hermione frowns but gives him a small nod, "Cass, Scorp!"

The two children look over at their Mother. Hermione smiles at them, "Would you two mind running down to the kitchen and getting me a hot water bottle? My leg is starting to hurt again."

"Course Mum," Cassie says with a smile, she takes Scorpius's hand and leads him out of the room.

When they are gone Hermione turns her head towards Draco, "You were saying?"

Draco smiles slightly, "If I have it my way, I won't be marrying Pansy. Mother and I are working on a way out."

Hermione frowns, "Why would you need a way out? Can't you just tell her you don't want to marry her?"

"I did," Draco says, "And she told me that if I didn't marry her she would go public about what I did during the war. The thing that she and my Father were witnesses to."

Hermione's eyes widen, "You killed a muggle to become a Death Eater. You could go to Azkaban for that!"

"I know," Draco says darkly, "Mother is working on a way around it. I don't want to marry Pansy but if it means avoiding time in Azkaban then I have no choice. I can't miss Cass and Scorp growing up."

"I understand," Hermione sighs, "But the whole thing just seems a little bit...I don't know, it's almost too easy. Don't you think?"

"What do you mean?" Draco asks.

"She joins your campaign and starts this affair with you," Hermione says in an undertone, "Then that affair goes public and you lose the campaign. It's almost like she wanted that to happen, like she wanted you to be at your lowest point when she told you she was pregnant."

"You think she engineered this entire thing?" Draco asks, a frown forming on his face.

"I do wonder sometimes," Hermione admits, "And... Merlin, this is going to sound dreadful."

"Say it anyway, I trust your judgement," Draco murmurs.

Hermione bites her lip, "I think she's engineering this pregnancy too. You saw how easy it was for me to use glamour charms and various spells to _hide_ my pregnancy until we wanted to announce it back with Cassie. Surely it's just as easy to fake one, have you been to any appointments with her?"

Draco shakes his head, "She said she likes to go to them alone."

"No women likes to go to appointments like that alone," Hermione says with a shake of her head, "I would have been lost without you when I was pregnant with Cassie."

"You were far younger than Pansy," Draco reminds her, "It was scarier for us back then. We weren't so nervous with Scorpius."

"I still don't believe that any woman would want to go to a hospital appointment without the father of her child," Hermione says, closing her eyes as she feels a headache coming on, "You need proof that she's pregnant Draco."

Draco nods, "Thank you Hermione, for helping me sort out this...mess."

Hermione sighs, "You aren't the only one who got yourself into a mess Draco. You had an affair with a manipulative bitch and I got back together with the man who made my life a misery for years. We both made mistakes."

"Do you think maybe we could..." Draco trails off, looking into her eyes, "Forget about them? Do you think we could forget that all of this ever happened?"

Hermione looks torn, "Draco...we just got divorced. Do you really want to confuse the children any further?"

Draco glances down, "We aren't divorced Hermione."

Hermione frowns, "What?"

"I never filed the papers," Draco admits, "After we filled them in, I left with them Theo but I asked him to wait a little while before he filed them with the Wizengamot. I...I was hopeful that maybe we could try again."

"You were that sure my relationship with Harry would fail?" Hermione asks, looking hurt.

"I knew it would fizzle out like it did the first time, I had no idea he would almost kill you though," Draco admitted, "But I had to let you see that for yourself. If I had known how badly it would have gone…I wouldn't have let that happen. I know that I made a terrible mistake for what I did with Pansy and I don't know if I will ever be able to forgive myself for giving up on our relationship before I even tried to fix it."

"I'm not sure that I can forgive that either," Hermione says honestly.

"Can you at least try to?" Draco asks, his eyes searching hers, "Can we give it a final try?"

Hermione smiles slightly and reaches out to take his hand, "If we tread carefully, yes. I won't hurt the children any more than they have already been hurt."

Draco nods and leans forward, kissing her softly, "I still love you."

Surprise flashes in Hermione's eyes.

"I just wanted you to know that," Draco murmurs, pulling away as he hears the children thudding loudly up the stairs.

"Hot water bottle Mum!" Scorpius says cheerfully as he skids into the living room.

Hermione smiles broadly at him, "Thank you so much darling!"

* * *

"Any progress?"

Narcissa sighs and shakes her head, "Not as of yet. You know what your Father would do if he were here, do you not?"

Draco shoots his Mother a dark look, "Father would 'deal' with her. We will not stoop that low Mother."

"You cannot marry her," Narcissa says firmly, "I mean that, Draco."

"Well I have some interesting information for you," Draco says, pouring himself a glass of firewhiskey from her cabinet.

Narcissa raises an eyebrow at him, "Continue."

Draco sits down in the armchair that his Father had always occupied, "I spoke to Hermione about what had happened. I thought she might have some insight that would prove valuable and I was right. She thinks Pansy is faking the pregnancy."

Narcissa hums thoughtfully, "The thought had crossed my mind also. Do you think Hermione is correct?"

"She has a point," Draco admits, "Pansy hasn't wanted me at any of her appointments. As Hermione said, no woman would want to go to those appointments alone. Hermione always needed me at hers."

"Hermione was young when she was pregnant with Cassie," Narcissa reminds Draco, "Pansy is a woman."

"It still seems unusual," Draco says, "As does the timing..."

"I will certainly investigate. If we can prove that Pansy is faking the pregnancy and threaten her with a scandal then she should stop threatening you," Narcissa says calmly, "Failing that, I will obliviate her."

"That's against the law," Draco reminds his Mother.

"Yes," Narcissa agrees, "Which is why it is a last resort. I would rather like to see my Grandchildren growing up."

Draco smiles, "Speaking of my family, I thought you ought to know that Hermione and I are going to try and salvage our relationship. It won't be easy and we are keeping it low key for the sake of the children, but we loved each other once and I for one still love her."

Narcissa nods, "I think that what happened with Potter showed Hermione just how lucky she was to have you as a Husband, and how lucky Cassie is to have you as a Father."

"Perhaps," Draco says thoughtfully, "Personally I'm just grateful for another chance. I didn't deserve one, not after what I did."

"You both made mistakes Draco," Narcissa says softly, "If you can move past them then you can be happy once more. The mistakes your Father and I made...they were not so easy to fix."

"I know," Draco says, glancing sympathetically at her.

"I wish you and Hermione the very best of luck," Narcissa says honestly, "And I will do everything I can to ensure that Pansy never darkens your doorstep again."

"Thank you Mother."

* * *

"Narcissa."

"Pansy."

"You requested my presence," Pansy says.

"I wished to discuss your impending marriage," Narcissa says, sliding a wine glass towards the younger woman, "And I took the liberty of buying you a drink. I ordered for you, even someone as common as Hermione enjoys a nice glass of white wine, after all."

Pansy raises an eyebrow, "That will be adequate," she says as she takes a sip from the glass.

Narcissa smiles, "I fail to understand how the girl who cried over my sons lack of interest in her for years, suddenly feels powerful enough to challenge me."

Pansy laughs, "The world is changing Narcissa. You are part of the old order, the young are taking over."

"But the young fall for such petty tricks," Narcissa smirks, "Back in my day I would never have taken a drink without first checking if said drink was free of any nefarious substances, like veritaserum for instance."

Pansy's eyes flash with alarm and Narcissa continues, "I would never have taken a sip of alcohol while pregnant either. I was ever so vigilant when I found out that I was pregnant with Draco, I feared that everything I did could impact my child's health. But you do not have that problem Pansy, because you aren't pregnant. Are you?"

"No," Pansy replies, because she has no choice.

Narcissa smirks, "I thought so. Now my dear young thing, I really think you ought to think twice about threatening my son. After all, you would never want the Prophet to hear about how you blackmailed him, lied to him, faked a pregnancy and manipulated the breakdown of his marriage to one of the heroes of our generation, would you?"

Pansy swallows and shakes her head, "No, I wouldn't."

"So you're going to run back to your American husband and promise never to darken my son's doorstep again. Aren't you?" Narcissa asks kindly.

Pansy nods, her cheeks are pink, "Yes Mrs. Malfoy."

"Now that is the respect I expect from a woman of your...stature," Narcissa says with a triumphant smile as she gets to her feet, "Bon voyage, Miss. Parkinson."

* * *

"Grandma!"

Narcissa smiles as Scorpius darts over to her and wraps his arms around her, "Good afternoon my darling. Where on earth are your parents?"

"Outside," Cassie replies as she steps out of the living room, "Mum is gardening and Dad is trying to help."

Narcissa raises an eyebrow at the girl, "Cassie, your Father has never been a gardener. He managed to fail Herbology, something I did not even think possible."

"I never knew that!" Scorpius exclaims.

"You would do well to remember his failures," Narcissa says wisely, "Your Father is a very good man, but no man is perfect."

"Dad did get the best grade in his whole year in Potions though," Cassie pipes up.

"And where did you get that information from, young lady?" Hermione's voice asks as she steps into the hallway, her hands messy with dirt.

"Dad told me," Cassie replies.

"Did he now?" Hermione asks, an amused smile playing on her lips, "Because I seem to remember beating his Potions grade by 2%."

"Actually, it was 1.8% Hermione," Draco says, stepping into the hall with perfectly clean hands.

Narcissa tries to hide her small, fond smile at their interaction, "You have very clean hands for a gardener, Draco."

"I was supervising," Draco says with a slight smile, "Hermione is still recovering after all."

Cassie rolls her eyes and looks at her Grandmother, "They have been like this _all_ week."

"Well your Mother did have a serious accident, Cassie," Draco says, "It's important that someone takes care of her."

"Your Father is perfectly correct," Narcissa smiles, "Do you mind if I have a word with you both in private, Draco?"

"Of course," Draco says.

Hermione gives a small nod, "Cass, Scorp, we'll be in the library if you need us."

The children nod as Hermione, Draco and Narcissa step into the library. Draco shuts the door behind them, performs a silencing charm on the room and ushers Hermione into a seat.

"Draco, I'm not an invalid," Hermione sighs.

"You two seem to be getting back to normal exceedingly quickly," Narcissa notes.

"It's not as easy as it looks," Hermione assures her Mother-in-law.

Narcissa bows her head, "I admire you for making it look so easy. But I do come here bearing news."

"About Pansy?" Draco asks hopefully.

Narcissa nods, "She has been dealt with."

Hermione grimaces, "That doesn't mean what I think it does. Does it?"

Narcissa shakes her head, "No, she has been sent away to America for a very long time."

Draco narrows his eyes at his Mother, "Is this like that time you told me Mr. Sniffy had been sent away to the farm across the field for a very long time when he was actually buried in the back garden?"

"You named your dog Mr. Sniffy?" Hermione asks in amusement.

"I was 3 years old when I named him," Draco objects.

"Well she definitely isn't buried in the back garden," Narcissa replies, "I would never have that garbage on my property."

Draco's eyes widen, "You killed her?"

"She's joking, you idiot," Hermione says, a smile playing on her lips, "How did you convince her to leave?"

"I compelled her to tell the truth," Narcissa smirks.

"Mother, the use of veritaserum without written or oral consent is illegal," Draco reminds her.

"I only let Pansy think she was under the influence of veritaserum," Narcissa says slyly, "I actually used a very weak, very legal truth spell. As you both know, it only works on the weak minded. But once Pansy thought she was under veritaserum, the truth spilled out."

"So she was faking the pregnancy then?" Hermione asks.

Narcissa nods, "Yes, she was. When confronted with this scandal being leaked to the press she ran away with her tail between her legs, so to speak."

Draco grins, "Thank you Mother."

Hermione smiles slightly, "It was rather brilliant of you," she admits.

Narcissa chuckles, "What matters is that with Pansy gone, this family can start getting itself back together again."

"That's true," Hermione agrees, giving Draco a small smile.

He takes her hand and nods, "Very true."

* * *

"Hey Harry."

Harry smiles in a strained sort of way, "Hey Ron."

The redhead sits down next to him on a bench overlooking a lake, "So this is Lake View."

Harry nods and looks out at the lake, "Yep, that's the lake and this is the view."

Ron smiles slightly, "How are you liking it?"

"I'm not mad yet," Harry shrugs, "But I'm not like the rest of the people here. They were off the rails, like I used to be. This was just a relapse."

"Just a relapse can spiral if it isn't dealt with," Ron says.

"I know," Harry says honestly. He glances over at his friend, "You're on Hermione's side, aren't you?"

"I try not to take sides," Ron admits, keeping his eyes on the lake, "I learned when you and Hermione got together that my life would be easier that way."

Harry doesn't laugh at the joke. He just frowns out at the lake, "Seems like a lifetime ago, me and Hermione."

"12 years is a long time."

"It's over for good this time though," Harry says with a hint of bitterness in his voice, "I blew the last chance that I had."

"Maybe it's better that way," Ron says, finally looking at his friend, "Best friends that try and become more...it never works Harry. You and Hermione have this fiery love. You're both stubborn so you argue and it's always passionate. That's great when you're young Harry, but none of us are young anymore. We have children, we don't always want passion. Sometimes all we want is stability and normalcy."

"Are you saying what I think you're saying?" Harry asks.

"I'm saying that you and Hermione only ever hurt each other," Ron says honestly, "Take this as a blessing in disguise. Get on with your life Harry, move on."

"I can't," Harry says pathetically, "I can't stop myself from loving Hermione."

"You can love more than one person," Ron says rather wisely, "There's nothing wrong with a part of you always loving Hermione, but you can't cling on to that part."

"I feel like history is repeating itself," Harry sighs, "I'm going to get out of here to find her and Malfoy together again, aren't I?"

Ron sighs, "Maybe. He has moved back into the family house to look after her."

"How is she?"

"Recovering," Ron replies, "She's going back to work tomorrow."

"Already?" Harry asks in surprise.

Ron nods, "She's recovering well. She wasn't allowed to apparate to Australia to present the show, but she is going to be doing some coverage from England."

"That's good," Harry says.

"When are you getting out of here?" Ron asks.

"The day before the final," Harry replies, "So I have another week of being stuck in this place."

"You'll survive, I'm sure," Ron says.

"Survive, yes," Harry jokes, "But whether my sanity is intact when I get out...that's another story."

* * *

"I still don't think you should be back at work."

"Draco, I am sitting watching a Quidditch game and then doing a short interview afterwards," Hermione murmurs as she tries not to lean into his embrace.

They are sitting together in the top box as England play an intense game against Romania. Cassie and Scorpius are supposed to be sitting in the two seats next to them, but they are currently standing with their noses against the glass watching the game intently.

"I'm sorry," Draco whispers, "But I'm worried about you. When you nearly died Hermione...I can't remember being so terrified in my life. It felt like the very foundation of my happiness was being torn away from me."

Hermione slips her hand into his, "I'm okay, Draco."

"I know," Draco murmurs, "But I'm terrified that if I let go, I'll lose you again."

Hermione smiles at him, "If you squeeze too tight, you'll lose me too. You need to let me get back to work, you need to let me get back to myself."

"I will," Draco promises, moving ever so slightly close to her, "I'm just enjoying having you back at the moment Hermione."

Before Hermione can compose a reply the crowd erupts into cheers. Cassie and Scorpius begin to jump up and down in the front of the box and Hermione and Draco look over in alarm.

"What happened?" Hermione asks cluelessly.

"England just won Mum!" Scorpius shouts, "They're in the final!"

"How did you miss that?" Cassie asks in disbelief, "Mum, we're in the final!"

Hermione grins at her daughter, "It's fantastic Cassie!"

Cassie shakes her head, "I don't know how you missed it," she says as she turns back to the pitch.

"Because I was too busy staring into your Father's eyes," Hermione murmurs under her breath.

Draco chuckles softly, "Oh my mesmerizing eyes that you said reminded you of a shipwreck coming into shore by a lighthouse?"

Hermione rolls her eyes, "I was drunk and it was our first date."

Draco smiles at her, squeezing her hand, "I wouldn't change a thing, you know."

Hermione is silent for a moment as she thinks back to a conversation she had once had with Harry. She had said that if she could go back she would change everything. But thinking about it now, she knows that she would do everything the same if she could go back in time.

"Neither would I," Hermione says softly.

* * *

"After that _amazing_ match in England we're going to be going to Hermione for the insider's view!" Chelsea says brightly as Hermione's face appears on the wall behind her in the studio, "Hermione, how are you doing?"

Hermione smiles, "I'm doing great Chelsea. I can't apparate yet, but if it weren't for that I would have been right beside you today."

"You had a far better view where you are!" Chelsea exclaims, "That match was fantastic. That must have been some moment when the snitch was caught by England's reserve seeker, David Brown."

Hermione smiles slightly, "Yes, it was," she lies, "The atmosphere here was wonderful Chelsea. Everyone is behind England for the final."

"It's going to be a spectacular final," Chelsea says.

Hermione nods, "It certainly will be. The stadium here was positively buzzing today. With support like this behind them I think the England team might be in with a chance this year."

"Let's keep our fingers crossed," Chelsea says brightly, "You'll be back here in Australia with me to commentate on the final, won't you?"

"I certainly will be," Hermione says, "I will be stewing in the studio with you while my lucky children get to sit in the top box and watch the game."

Chelsea laughs, "So our listeners and viewers have been sending in their regards Hermione. All wishing you the best and asking when you will be back. You have gathered quite the fan base."

Hermione smiles, "That is really sweet Chelsea and I want to say a big thank you to everyone who sent in messages. I really am doing very well and recovering very quickly. All thanks to my wonderful children, they have been taking very good care of me."

Chelsea smiles warmly at the woman, "We're all very glad to hear that and I can't wait to have you back in the studio next weekend for the final! We're going to join Oliver now who has been analysing this match for us!"

Oliver appears on a screen next to Hermione. He is very red in the face and beaming profusely, "I'm sorry to say that I was watching the match so intently I forgot that I was working! But holy Mother of Merlin, wasn't it fantastic?"

Chelsea laughs fondly, "It was a match of epic proportions Oliver. Who is your star player?"

"Oh it has to be Brown!" Oliver says cheerfully, "This was his first ever international match and he played like a pro. We can expect great things from that boy, I'm sure of it."

Hermione tries to hide her amused smile. She can literally feel the chemistry between Chelsea and Oliver, she has to wonder when _that_ had happened. She remains quiet through the rest of their interview. With Harry gone, things seem to be coming back together again, for all of them.

She has to wonder how long it will last for.

* * *

"You went back to work quickly."

"I'm fine, Han," Hermione assures her friend as they sit in the Longbottom's huge back garden. The sun is beating down as she and Hannah catch up while drinking lemonade.

A small distance away Neville is teaching his own children, plus Cassie and Scorpius, how to feed a venomous tentacula that he keeps as a pet.

"You're really recovering that quickly?" Hannah asks sceptically.

Hermione nods, "The swelling was the big issue. Once the swelling came down they healed the wound to my head. I've got a little bit of motion sickness and the headaches haven't quite gone away yet. But honestly Hannah, I'm feeling fine."

Hannah seems a little more convinced now. She nods, "And you're being looked after by the kids."

"And Draco," Hermione says, she doesn't look at her friend, "He moved back in to help out with the kids while I was recovering."

"The fact you said that without looking at me is the first hint that you're being secretive," Hannah says, narrowing her eyes at her friend, "Are you and Draco back together?"

"It's more complicated than being back together," Hermione says honestly.

Hannah scoffs, "He cheated on you!"

Hermione sighs and looks up, "Yes, he did. But he was good to me for a very long time. I never walked into a loveless marriage Hannah. I fell for Draco while Harry was in rehab that last time. I wanted him to be Cassie's Father so badly and it nearly broke us when I found out that he wasn't. But we found our way back from that and we can find our way back from this."

"After everything that he did?" Hannah asks in disbelief, "He cheated on you with Pansy. He forgot about his responsibilities to your children. He left you to air his dirty laundry!"

"I _know_ ," Hermione says in a firmer voice than usual, "I won't forget what he did. But I can't forget who he was before that and he's getting back to that man again. He loves his children Hannah, he's a wonderful Father and a wonderful Husband. I really think we can work through this, given a little bit of time."

"Hermione, it's a bit late for that. You divorced Draco, do you really want to put the kids through anymore of this?"

"We aren't divorced," Hermione says quietly, "The kids knew we were separating. But we haven't told them about this yet. We need to work through things on our own first."

"What do you mean, you aren't divorced?" Hannah asks.

"Draco never filed the divorce papers," Hermione replies, "He had some hope that we would be able to give things another try so he delayed filing them."

"So he lied to you," Hannah says bluntly, "And you're okay with that?"

"I was angry at first," Hermione admits, "But honestly Hannah, I'm glad that he didn't file them because over these last few weeks as things with Harry got worse... I really have been missing Draco."

"This isn't a rebound thing, is it?" Hannah asks in an undertone, "This isn't you being too afraid to be alone but realising you don't want to be with Harry?"

Hermione shakes her head, "I don't want to be with Harry, that much is true. Our relationship is destructive; all we do is hurt each other. But Draco and I... we're different. We help each other grow as people and we raised those two wonderful children of ours together. When I'm with him, I feel safe and comfortable and happy. I have never felt all three of those things with Harry, Hannah."

"Do you still love Draco?" Hannah asks, watching Hermione carefully.

Hermione frowns down at the ground, "I think so, but I haven't been able to say it yet. I won't get over what he did with Pansy quickly but was I any better really? All of those years I _was_ emotionally cheating on him with Harry. And then after the divorce fell apart there was this thing between me and Oliver, not to mention Harry and I getting back together."

"You've both made mistakes," Hannah says as realisation dawns on her, "And now you're trying to come to terms with them."

Hermione nods, "I know things won't go back to normal right away. In fact, they might never be the same but we have to try because we have a family together and we had a life together. A very happy one Hannah, I don't want to throw that away if there's some chance I can have it back."

Hannah gives Hermione a small, encouraging smile. She reaches across the table and takes her hand gently, "I understand. But if it isn't working, don't force it Hermione."

Hermione nods and is about to thank her friend when Scorpius shrieks, "AUDREY BIT ME!"

"Scorpius, calm down!" Neville exclaims as he grabs the boy.

"I'm going to die! Mum, I'm going to die!" Scorpius shouts.

Neville looks exasperated as he holds Scorpius in one arm and pulls a phial of green liquid out of his pocket with his free hand, "You aren't going to die Scorp, here's the antidote."

"Oh," Scorpius says, his cheeks burning pink as he sips from the antidote.

Hermione is trying very hard not to laugh and Hannah is grinning, "He's his Father's son, isn't he?" she asks.

Hermione chuckles softly and nods, "Through and through," she agrees.

* * *

"You've been very quiet since Hermione left."

"I've been thinking," Hannah says honestly.

"About what, Scorpius Malfoy being his Father's son through and through?" Neville jokes.

Hannah smiles slightly, "Yes, and no. Hermione and Draco are back together, not that the children know."

Neville frowns and momentarily turns away from the flobberworms he is feeding, "Really?"

Hannah nods, "That was my initial reaction too but the more I think about it, the more I think it _is_ the right thing. Harry is bad for Hermione and in a sense she's bad for him too. Not in the same way of course, Hermione isn't dangerous but she does seem to be a catalyst. Harry is sober for 12 years while Hermione is married to Draco, then the marriage falls apart and he's in rehab again."

Neville nods slowly, "Yes, they are bad for each other. But is that reason enough for Hermione and Draco to get back together after everything that's happened between them?"

"I think it is," Hannah admits, her eyes meeting Neville's, "When she explained it, it made sense to me. She knows that Draco made a mistake but she's made mistakes too. She'll never be able to forget what Draco did but she may be able to forgive him one day."

"What are you getting at, Han?" Neville asks with a knowing smile.

"Hermione said that she was giving Draco another chance because she loved him when she married him and because they had raised their children together and lived a happy life for years until this mess drove them apart," Hannah explains, "She is giving him another chance despite what happened _because_ of all the good in the past. He _is_ a good Father and he has been a wonderful Husband to her."

"Would you forgive me, if I were to do that to you?" Neville asks with a raised eyebrow, "Or would you kick me out onto the street?"

"At first, I would," Hannah says honestly, "But then when the anger died down, I would miss you. I would miss all of the good times, I would miss being a family and...I love you enough that I would give our relationship another chance. Just like Hermione and Draco are doing."

Neville smiles, "Has anyone ever told you that you are a very wise woman?"

"Only you," Hannah says with an amused smile.

Neville chuckles, "I think they might just make it you know."

"For all of our sakes, I hope they do," Hannah says honestly, "But someone has to be the one to warn Harry that when he gets out of Lake View, history is going to repeat itself."

Neville rolls his eyes, "Three guesses who that person is going to be."

* * *

"This is nice."

"Everyone says that," Harry says miserably.

"You don't think so then," Neville says as he looks out at the lake before them.

"All I've looked at for the last week and a half is that damned lake," Harry says irritably, "So forgive me for not being enamoured by the bloody view."

Neville sighs, "You'll be out in a few days."

"I know."

"You could at least try to sound happy about that," Neville says.

Harry sighs and looks down at his hands, "When I get out I have to face the music, don't I?"

"Yes," Neville replies honestly, "The Prophet have been speculating about your reasons for being sent to Lake View. They haven't put the pieces together yet, not that it was connected to Hermione's accident either. You can't hide the past anymore, Harry."

"What about Cassie?" Harry asks quietly.

"That's something to be discussed between you, Hermione and Draco," Neville says.

"What does Malfoy have to do with it?" Harry mutters.

"He is Cassie's adoptive and therefore legal Father," Neville replies calmly, "He has a lot to do with it. If you can prove to them that you have changed, that you can be a responsible Father, then you might be allowed to see her."

"But she doesn't know about me," Harry says.

Neville shakes his head, "Not yet. She nearly lost her Mother a few weeks ago. Hermione and Draco thought it would be wise to keep it from her for the moment."

Harry nods glumly, "Hermione and Malfoy. They're together again, aren't they?"

Neville frowns out at the lake, "Yes."

Harry laughs humourless, "I was never in with a chance really."

"You were," Neville argues, "Until you lost control and started drinking again."

"I know that I'm the only person to blame," Harry says honestly, "And I know that the alcohol caused it all. I won't drink again Neville; this place has assured me of that. But I won't pretend that I'm not angry."

"That's understandable," Neville says, "But Hermione is angry too Harry and she's scared. She's scared to tell Cassie that you are her Father because of what happened. You have to let her parents gently break this to her, or you could make her hate you forever."

"Yes Neville," Harry sighs, "I know, but I feel powerless and I hate it."

"I know you do," Neville sympathises, "But when you get out of here, things will start to look up., I'm sure of it."

"At least one of us is sure of something then," Harry says, kicking a pebble into the lake, "I feel like this place is sucking the life out of me...like a dementor."

Neville grips his shoulder firmly, "Only a few more days Harry, then you'll be back in the real world again."

 **TBC :)  
**


	21. England vs Australia

**Fade Into You**

 **Chapter 21 - England vs Australia  
**

"You're very quiet today."

"I'm worried, about going back to work," Hermione admits.

"You mean you're worried about seeing _him_ again," Draco corrects.

Hermione shoots him an irritated look, "You can say his name, Draco. In fact, you should, it sounds far less ominous. Yes, I am worried about seeing Harry today but I am also nervous about going back to work after two weeks to present something that could be the greatest sporting moment our country has ever experienced!"

Draco smiles slightly, "So you're only a little bit stressed then."

She tries not to smile as she hits him softly, "Shut up."

Draco catches her arm before it can hit him. He pulls her towards him and looks her in the eye, "You have nothing to be nervous about. You are the great Hermione Granger, the best radio presenter of our generation. You're going to be brilliant, love."

"Thank you," Hermione says softly, reaching up to kiss him.

Draco leans into her embrace and deepens the kiss. It is the most intimate things have been since they had tentatively gotten back together 2 weeks ago. He pulls away and murmurs, "I love you."

Hermione smiles at him, "I know."

Something akin to disappointment flits across Draco's face. He pulls back slightly and sighs, "You haven't said it back yet."

"I can't," Hermione frowns, "It's too soon."

"It's simple Hermione," Draco says, his eyes piercing into her, "You either love me or you don't."

"No, it's not that simple," Hermione says as she turns away from him to look into the mirror. She _is_ supposed to be getting ready for the show after all, "I can't pretend that nothing ever happened. I can't just go back to normal like you can."

"I thought we said we would put it behind us," Draco says.

"Putting it behind us isn't the same as forgetting it ever happened," Hermione says sharply, she turns to face him, "I need a little more time to come to terms with it, _all_ of it."

"How much more time?" Draco asks, his eyes searching hers.

"More than 2 weeks," Hermione says with a slight frown, "We can't expect to fix months of mistakes in 2 weeks, Draco."

Draco nods, "Maybe you do need time Hermione. But I don't, I still love you and for me, that's enough to fix any mistake. Maybe that's stupid and naïve of me but that's how I feel and I need to know that you feel the same. I won't go on with another charade; I won't carry on pretending like we did the first time. The only way this marriage is going to last is if we both love each other. So you think about that, okay?"

"Okay," Hermione whispers as Draco sweeps out of the room.

* * *

"Hermione!"

Hermione smiles broadly at the younger woman, "Hey Chelsea."

Chelsea hugs Hermione tightly, "It's so great to have you back."

Hermione takes her seat next to Chelsea in the studio, "It's great to be back, the apparition wasn't exactly fun but I'm so glad to be back at work."

"You look great," Chelsea says, her eyes surveying Hermione, "For someone who nearly died a few weeks ago."

"The wonders of healing potions and spells," Hermione jokes, "The headaches haven't stopped yet but the healers did say that it could take months for me to feel 100% back to normal."

Chelsea nods thoughtfully, "Well I have to apologise to you if I'm honest. I never actually realised how hard this job was until I had to do it without you. You have no idea how relieved I am that you're back for the final."

"I watched the re-runs," Hermione says with a fond smile, "You did great on your own, you and Oliver."

Chelsea shoots Hermione a sheepish grin, "You cottoned on to that one then?"

"I could feel the chemistry from across the world," Hermione says with an amused smile, "And I had plenty of time to read the gossip columns in the Prophet while I was lying on my sick bed."

Chelsea laughs, "Well it's true. It was kind of because of you that we got together actually…I visited you in St. Mungo's, did your daughter tell you?"

Hermione shakes her head, "No, you came all the way from Australia to visit me?"

Chelsea catches her eye, "You're the first real friend I've made in this business and I was worried about you. I spent that whole night writing with Ollie and one thing led to another…it's only been a couple of weeks but it already feels like the most normal relationship I've been in, ever."

Hermione smiles brightly, "I'm so pleased for you Chels, even if there is a huge age gap."

Chelsea bites her lip, "Yeah…what's 18 years in the scheme of things though?"

Hermione would normally judge but in this case, she doesn't. She is far too pleased that both Chelsea and Oliver have found someone to make them happy. Oliver has bounced around women for years and Chelsea has only dated idiots. The age gap seems fairly unimportant somehow, especially in the wizarding world where people live to 100+. Chelsea is right, in the scheme of things, 18 years isn't very much at all.

"Hermione?"

Hermione pulls herself out of her reverie and focuses on Chelsea, "Sorry?"

"I just asked if you had seen Harry yet," Chelsea asks the older woman.

Hermione shakes her head, "No, he only got out of Lake View last night and I just arrived in Australia this morning. He isn't going to be in the studio today, is he?"

"No," Chelsea replies, "He'll be at the pitch with Oliver. You should be able to avoid him, unless he corners you at the hotel tonight."

"Which I wouldn't put past him," Hermione sighs.

"Is it true that he was the one that put you in hospital?" Chelsea asks tentatively.

Hermione nods, "He didn't mean it, he can't control his magic when he's angry and drunk. It just comes out like an explosion…I dropped all of the charges because I didn't want him spending time in jail but needless to say, I learned my lesson."

"You and Harry won't get back together again," Chelsea realises.

"And he will really have to fight if he wants to see Cassie," Hermione adds in an undertone, "Draco and I have put so many measures in place to prevent him ever getting custody. I don't want her alone with him until I can completely trust him."

"I don't envision that happening anytime soon," Chelsea says.

"No, neither do I," Hermione says pointedly.

Chelsea gives her a sympathetic smile and glances at the timer on the wall in front of them. They have under a minute until they go live and Hermione feels more nervous than she has in a long time.

"Can you take my first lines and open the show up today, Chelsea?" Hermione asks quickly as the light flashes amber.

Chelsea smiles comfortingly at Hermione as the light flashes green, "Good evening and welcome to QWC Weekly with Hermione Granger and myself, Chelsea Clifton. Tonight we are covering a game that has the potential to be historic. For the first time since 1974, England have made it to the final and this year they are up against a serious challenge – Australia."

Hermione smiles at the recording wall and continues, "Joining us on the sofa tonight to talk about this amazing match as it unfolds are two amazing British players who have sadly been knocked out of the competition. We have Lorna McDonald, Scotland's star chaser and Ewan Crilly, Ireland's youngest seeker in over a decade."

The door at the back of the studio opens and the two players in question step into the studio. Lorna is in her mid-20's with long auburn hair that has been left down for once, due to the nature of her job it is almost always pulled up into a messy bun. Ewan is younger, he is tall and gangly and slim, the atypical build of a seeker. He has dark brown hair and grey eyes, he's so young he still has acne.

"We have 10 minutes until the quaffle is thrown," Chelsea says as she glances at the clock behind them, "Which is just enough time to introduce our guests properly. The first question I have to ask though Ewan is, how young are you?"

Ewan laughs, "17."

"17?" Hermione asks in disbelief, "And you're the seeker for your home nation? That's a big deal."

Ewan nods as a grin spreads across his face, "It's a pretty scary responsibility but I think we did really well getting as far as we did."

"It's the furthest Ireland have gotten since they made the final in 1994," Chelsea says, "And with the strength of the competition this year, I'd say that's something to be proud of."

"I'm proud of it," Ewan says cheerfully, "I know I'm only a kid in a world where there are a lot of players who are far better than me but getting to compete in this tournament was actually a dream come true and I think in four years time, Ireland will be in the final again."

Hermione chuckles, "Big dreams Ewan, I admire you for that."

Ewan just laughs as Hermione talks to their second guest, "You must feel pretty similar Lorna, Scotland are making one hell of a comeback."

Lorna nods and smiles, "All thanks to Viktor Krum, he is a fantastic coach and we really are so lucky to have him. I can't believe how well we did this year, I mean considering the fact that we don't normally qualify."

Hermione agrees, "From not qualifying to managing to beat Germany, a team ranked well above you, is an amazing achievement."

"I do think we could have gone further," Lorna admits, "Unfortunately for us because of the way the rankings worked out, our second match of the tournament was against England and we knew we didn't stand a chance before the game even started. I think if it hadn't been for that unlucky draw, we would have gotten further."

"So you expect to do great things in four years time then?" Chelsea cuts in.

Lorna nods eagerly, "Oh yeah, definitely. In four years time it could be an Ireland vs Scotland final for all anyone knows."

Ewan laughs and nods, "That would definitely be interesting."

Hermione glances at the clock on the wall, "It certainly would be. But for now, we go live to Sydney where the final is about to get underway."

The projector charm creates an image on the wall behind them. The Quidditch pitch materialises, the game is about to begin. The English and Australian teams face each other, the referee in the centre waiting to throw the quaffle.

"The quaffle is thrown," Chelsea says as all chairs in the studio are turned to watch the game, "England takes possession and the game is underway!"

* * *

"Harry! What is _wrong_ with you?"

Harry pulls himself out of his reverie to look at his Godson, "What?"

Teddy shakes his head incredulously, "England are winning the final of the bloody QWC and you aren't even paying attention!"

Harry looks half-heartedly at the score board. England _are_ winning. The game is 40 minutes in and the score currently stands at 140-120 to England. He wants to pretend to be excited by that but in truth, he's never been so uninterested in Quidditch.

"Sorry Teddy, I'm just not in the best place right now."

"Because you tried to get back together with the love of your life and you screwed it up," Teddy says matter of factly.

Harry shoots him a dark look, "Teddy, you don't know the half of it."

"I might be a teenager Harry but I'm not stupid," Teddy says matter of factly, "You love Hermione and you probably always will. Like full on Snape loving your Mother to the point of creepy obsession forever. I mean people can try to set you up and make you happy but whatever, you'd rather be grumpy and alone forever because _that_ makes sense."

Harry opens his mouth to scold the boy but he doesn't get a chance. Teddy simply holds up his hand up and continues, "So you got back together, something bad happened that you and Gran won't tell me about, Hermione ended up in hospital and you ended up in the loony bin. While you were in there she probably got back together with her ex from what the papers say and now you're bitter and twisted and angry. Sum it up?"

Harry glares at his Godson, "It's not that simple Teddy and I can't explain it all to you, not yet anyway."

"Well then forget about it!" Teddy exclaims, "We are in a private box watching England play the best Quidditch match ever! We might well see them win for the first time in over 20 years! Forget about your stupid girl problems and enjoy the match!"

Harry smiles slightly at Teddy's passion. He turns away from the blue haired boy to look at the pitch, "Alright, what have I missed?"

"England's chasers are bloody amazing," Teddy says, "They're scoring goals like it's the easiest thing ever. Australia are so close too though, I mean one goal could literally swing this match one way or the other. We just really need Bell to catch the snitch while England are still in the lead."

"Where is he anyway?" Harry asks as his eyes search the pitch. He enjoys watching the seeker, he supposes it is because that had been his role for so long.

"Up there by the west stand," Teddy says, pointing towards the seeker.

Harry sees him surveying the ground below him and completely misses England scoring another goal. Teddy jumps up and shouts, "Come on England!"

Harry finds himself grinning at his Godson and as he lets himself enjoy the game, he can feel himself slowly forgetting about his Hermione problems.

* * *

"And that's half-time!"

"Well," Hermione says as she looks to Chelsea and their two guests, Lorna and Ewan, "This is shaping up to be a good match."

"I would never have pegged England to win," Lorna admits, "Australia seemed to be the better team throughout the whole tournament but this is a thrilling match."

"It's so close," Ewan agrees, "If Bell catches the snitch when play resumes, England have won."

"For the first time in 20 years at that," Chelsea adds.

"It will be a huge sporting achievement," Hermione says, nodding her agreement, "Shall we get the down low from the match then Chelsea?"

"Yes," Chelsea smiles, "Let's go to Oliver first, he's with a few of the star players in the break room."

The projector charm activates and Oliver appears on the wall behind them. He smiles broadly, "Hi Chelsea, welcome back Hermione. I am indeed in the break room where I've just managed to grab England's star player at the moment, Rosaline Kemp, the chaser who scored over half of the amazing goals we have witnessed so far today."

Rosaline Kemp laughs. She looks to be in her early 20's, her hair is sweaty and sticking to her face but her cheeks are pink as she smiles brightly, "Just doing my job."

"You are doing an excellent job of it," Oliver says, "I mean this entire game has us all on the edge of our seats. It's so close."

"It's a lot closer than we thought it would be," Rosaline admits, "We were kind of worried Australia would wipe us out and the match would be over before we even got to break for half-time."

"Australia are the higher ranking team," Oliver says, "A lot of us thought that Australia would win the cup for certain this year but England are certainly in with a chance."

"If Adrian can just catch that snitch, we've done it," Rosaline says, "It's definitely possible and that's exciting."

"It certainly is," Oliver agrees as he beckons over Adrian Bell, "Adrian, we were just talking about you. All it takes is for the snitch to be caught now and the game is won, regardless of who catches it. Are you biding your time waiting for England to be further in the lead or have you just not seen the snitch yet?"

Adrian, who looks like a teenager, laughs, "I wish I could say I've got some grand strategy but I don't. I'm struggling a little bit with the light here in Australia. The sun is strong and I've been squinting a lot, it's much harder to see the snitch under those conditions."

"I remember from my pro days," Oliver agrees, "In warmer countries the sun glinting off something as small as a watch can distract you."

"Everything shiny that the sun glints off it, looks like the snitch," Adrian nods, "So it's far harder but assuming I can see that snitch before Australia's seeker, I know that I'll catch it. I'm faster than him."

"We're all keeping our fingers crossed," Oliver assures him, "This match is proving to be one of the most thrilling of recent years. Good luck to you both and thank you for speaking to me."

They both smile and walk away from Oliver. He turns back to the projection charm and says, "That's the inside knowledge from the England team for you, back to Chelsea and Hermione in the studio."

The projection charm ends and Hermione says, "I think Oliver is right, this is a close fought match and it could still swing either way."

"It really does depend on that snitch," Ewan says, "And I completely sympathise with Adrian. Trying to see a tiny golden ball in a country like Australia in July, the sun is beating down at an unbearable temperature and it does make visibility difficult."

Chelsea nods, "Well that just goes to show, it's all to play for. We could be reporting a historic win for England in the next half an hour or mourning a close loss. For now, let's go to Harry who has the statistics for today's game."

The projection charm kicks in again and Hermione's stomach churns as Harry appears on the wall behind them. He looks much the same as he always has done, apart from the bags underneath his eyes.

His smile doesn't reach his eyes as he says, "Hi Chelsea, hi Hermione. It's been a thrilling game, that's for sure. My Godson and I have been enjoying it as much as Oliver from the sounds of things. He's right, it's definitely a close match but here's the statistics to show you just how close."

Hermione swallows the lump in her throat and forces herself to watch calmly as Harry stands with the empty Quidditch pitch behind him, "As far as possession of the quaffle goes it doesn't get much more even. England have been in possession of the quaffle for 55% of the match as opposed to Australia's 45%. It hasn't made much difference in terms of the goal scoring though, both teams have been fairly evenly matched."

"Just going to interrupt you there Harry," Chelsea says politely, "England have been attempting to score far more than Australia which probably explains their possession."

Harry nods, "That's a good point Chelsea. Australia's keeper has let in 16 goals, but he has also saved 21 goals. That's a total of 37 attempted goals on behalf of England's chasers. On the other hand, England have let in 14 goals and saved 16, a total of 30 attempted goals on behalf of Australia's chasers."

"Which implies that Australia have a better keeper in Stuart Peterson," Hermione says, she has to be a part of the conversation even if that means talking to Harry.

"That can't be argued," Harry agrees, "But England's keeper, David Flint, is doing a great job against a team that are proving to be a tough opposition."

"The star player so far is clearly Rosaline Kemp though," Chelsea says.

Harry nods once more, "Definitely. Kemp is England's top scorer having scored 8 out of England's 16 goals. Josephine Baldwin has scored 5 goals and Richard Button has only scored 3 goals so there is no denying that Kemp is crucial to England in this game."

"What about Australia?" Hermione asks, "In previous games, they have been far more consistent than England. All of their chasers are of the same standard, the English team's chasers tend to be rather hit and miss."

"Yes, without Kemp, England would be struggling," Harry says, "Whereas Australia have three very good chasers, none of them are carrying the match on their own. Adelaide Taylor is the top scorer with 5 goals but Jamie Hussey has scored 4 goals and Harrison Gillespie has scored 3, it's far more even."

"What do we know about snitch sightings?" Chelsea asks, "We've been discussing the fact that the snitch is crucial in determining the result of the game."

"It is," Harry agrees, "I mean England or Australia could both fall behind quite significantly and still win if the snitch was caught. But it is so close, I don't envision that happening unless we have a major injury so that means that the only way this can be won is if one team catches the snitch. As far as sightings go, Australia's seeker has had two and Adrian Bell has had one so again, fairly even."

The light in the studio flashes amber so Chelsea smiles and says, "Thanks for that Harry. We are just about to go back to the game as play resumes with the score standing at 160-140 to England. It's all to play for as the quaffle is tossed and Australia take possession!"

* * *

"NO!"

Draco jumps and looks forward. Cassie and Scorpius have both jumped out of their seats and are holding their heads in their hands.

"What did I miss?"

"Dad!" Scorpius exclaims, "How could you miss that?"

"I hope she's okay!" Cassie says as she stands with her hands against the glass. They are in a private box, very far away from the one that Harry is sharing with Teddy, "She fell off the broom."

"The magic bouncy charm thing caught her," Scorpius says matter of factly, "Look, she's moving."

"Who got injured?" Draco asks, standing up to survey the pitch.

"Rosaline Kemp!" Cassie despairs, "How are we going to win without her? She's our star player! She scores all of our goals!"

"I'm sure the sub will be just as good," Draco says as they await the announcement.

" _Rosaline Kemp regrettably informs us that she must retire due to injury. Joseph Kennedy is substituted in her place."_

"No!" Cassie and Scorpius exclaim.

Draco feels so out of touch as he raises an eyebrow at them, "And that's bad because?"

"Because he sucks, Dad!" Scorpius says, "He hardly ever scores."

"England are doomed," Cassie agrees miserably as she flops back onto her seat.

Play resumes and the atmosphere feels remarkably different. Draco pats Cassie on the shoulder, "All hope is not lost you know. Just when you think things are looking like they can never improve, something great could happen and all of a sudden everything feels better again."

Cassie narrows her eyes at him as if she knows that he is talking about her Mother. Draco is waiting for a hug or some profound thank you. Instead he gets, "Whatever Dad."

He finds himself smiling slightly as Cassie looks out towards the pitch once more. _The teenage years are coming,_ he finds himself thinking.

* * *

"We're fuc-"

"Teddy!"

"Fudged," Teddy compromises as his Godfather stares at him sternly.

"Screwed would have done," Harry points out.

"Screwed isn't a strong enough word," Teddy complains, "Australia have not only caught up with us, they've overtaken us. Bloody Kennedy is bloody useless! I could do better than him! I mean look at that score!"

Harry doesn't even have the heart to tell Teddy off. The game had been so promising until the loss of Rosaline Kemp. The score currently sits at England – 200. Australia – 230."

"We need a miracle now if we stand a chance of winning," Harry agrees grudgingly.

Down below the whistle is blown and a timeout is called. Harry and Teddy both frown down at the pitch, "No one is injured and the weather hasn't turned. Why are they scheduling a time out?"

Harry shakes his head, "No idea," he admits, "But it looks like Kennedy is going in."

"Maybe they're subbing him again," Teddy says hopefully.

Harry nods thoughtfully as an announcement echoes throughout the pitch, " _England have made the decision to bench Joseph Kennedy and substitute in the Assistant Coach for the team, Ginny Weasley."_

"Aunt Ginny!" Teddy exclaims, jumping to his feet, "Aunt Gin is getting subbed in!"

Harry stands up too to watch Ginny walk onto the pitch with her broom in hand. The English fans in the crowd go absolutely wild, Ginny is a fan favourite and always has been.

Harry grins, "I think the miracle I was hoping for just materialised," he says cheerfully.

* * *

"Oh my gosh Dad, I love her!"

Draco chuckles at his daughter, "Your Mum's friend, Ginny?"

"She is amazing," Cassie says as she stands with her face so close to the glass that her breath is leaving it foggy in places, "She is the best Harpies player that there is and she's so pretty and confident and awesome. I want to be like her so badly when I'm grown up."

Draco smiles fondly at his daughter. When he thinks about it, Ginny is a great role model for young girls and as far as Weasley's go, he's always gotten on quite well with her.

"She's going to score again!" Scorpius says as he jumps up and down, "She is, she is!"

"YES!" Cassie roars, "220-240 Dad! England are catching! Ginny Weasley is our secret weapon!"

Draco smiles to himself at that. Ginny Weasley and her powerful bat bogey hexes have always been someone's secret weapon. He wonders briefly if Hermione regrets losing touch with her friend. He knows that she will be watching her proudly today, regardless of the fact that they only see each other for birthdays, Christmas, weddings and funerals these days.

"Dad! Daddy look!" Cassie shouts excitedly, she grabs Draco's hand and pulls him to the front of the box, "Look, Bell has seen the snitch!"

Draco finds himself getting totally into the game as he watches Bell shoot towards their box.

"DAD!" Scorpius says, "The snitch is right there!"

The snitch is glittering right in front of their stand and Bell is speeding towards them with Australia's seeker on his ass. The English fans are going crazy and the stadium is filled with cheers and roars all of a sudden.

"Come on!" Draco finds himself shouting as he keeps his hand gripped tightly in Cassie's, "Come on Bell! Come on England!"

Bell skids to a halt, barely avoiding hitting their box. He catches the snitch in one fluid movement and lifts it triumphantly into the air.

"YES!" All three Malfoy's shout.

Draco lets himself be carried by the emotion and the adrenaline. He picks Cassie up in one arm and Scorpius in the other and pulls them both close to him as they all cheer and shout. He finds himself grinning from ear to ear and thanking his lucky stars that he has been blessed with such a wonderful family.

* * *

The adrenaline rush takes a while to die down. Hermione and Chelsea are both buzzing about the fact that England have actually bloody well won the QWC for the first time in 20 years when they leave the studio.

They walk to the hotel arm in arm and talk animatedly about the game like two old friends. They are still chatting away 20 minutes later when they walk into the reception of the hotel where they are greeted by Hermione's family.

"Mum!" Cassie exclaims.

"Mum, did you see it?" Scorpius shouts as they skid to a halt by her side.

"I saw it!" Hermione says, scooping Scorpius into her arms and pulling Cassie to her side, "Wasn't it fantastic?"

"It was amazing," Cassie says with wide eyes, "I love Ginny Weasley, I just want to be her."

"She is phenomenal," Hermione agrees, "Did Dad enjoy the game?"

Cassie giggles and Scorpius nods eagerly, "He was shouting."

"And dancing," Cassie says.

"Dad was dancing?" Hermione asks.

"I got a little carried away with the victory," Draco says as he reaches the family.

Hermione looks up at him. She smiles when she sees the sheepish look in his eyes and the pink tinge to his cheeks. She wants nothing more than to pull him into the family hug and kiss him but she can't, not in front of the cameras and more to the point, the children.

"Uh-huh?"

Draco simply nods and looks at her with complete devotion in his eyes.

Hermione has to pull her eyes away from his. She glances at Chelsea who gives her a knowing look and sees Oliver approaching from the doors of the reception.

"We bloody well did it!" Oliver says the moment he reaches Chelsea.

Before Chelsea can respond, Oliver has picked her up, kissed her and spun her around. Scorpius makes a face and Cassie grins, "Mum, that's so romantic!"

The cameras begin to click and the press descend on Chelsea and Oliver. Chelsea pulls back from the kiss with pink cheeks and rolls her eyes, "Way to let the cat out of the bag Ollie."

Oliver has the decency to look sheepish as he says, "Uh…sorry?"

Hermione laughs and steers the kids towards the restaurant, "Come on, let's go and have some dinner."

"Is Dad coming too?" Scorpius asks as Draco automatically follows them.

Hermione knows she is sending out mixed messages to the children but she really wants Draco to eat with them. She nods, "Of course he is, we need to have a family meal to celebrate on this historic day! Don't we?"

Cassie and Scorpius look thrilled as they step into the restaurant as a family.

* * *

Hermione is quiet over dinner. She watches Cassie and Scorpius tell her all about their favourite parts of the game. She watches Draco smile and laugh as he interacts with the children. She watches and listens and finds herself falling in love with Draco all over again.

The urge to kiss him grows stronger as he talks animatedly about the game and teases the children. All of a sudden he is the man she knows and loves, all traces of his campaign are gone and she can actually forget that it happened, just for a while.

Once they have finished eating it is clear that the kids are exhausted. Draco smiles and tells Hermione that he will take them back to the hotel room and get them settled.

Hermione kisses Cassie and Scorpius on the cheek and says goodnight. They will all be heading home to England for good the following morning and in truth, Hermione can't wait to be rid of the travelling once and for all.

The family go their separate ways when they reach the floor where all of the cast and crew for the show are sleeping. Draco continues up a floor and Hermione heads to her own room with plans to have a glass of wine to try and calm herself down. There is no way she can sleep right now on an adrenaline rush like this one.

However, she is barely in the room when a knock sounds at the door. She knows it can't be Draco because there is no way he will have settled the children yet. Her stomach churns as she realises that it is probably Harry. She seriously thinks about ignoring it as the knocking gets louder, she knows that she has to face him at some point though. She knows it will be easier to do it sooner rather than later, so she opens the door.

"I know I'm probably the last person you want to see right now," Harry says quickly, "But I need to talk to you."

Hermione simply nods and takes a step back.

Harry walks tentatively into the room and jumps when the door shuts with a snap behind him. Hermione sits on the edge of the sofa and looks at him expectantly.

He wrings his hands and clears his throat, "I wasn't going to come and see you tonight…I didn't want to."

Hermione narrows her eyes at him, "Why did you?"

Harry shakes his head, "I have no right to be here…not after what I did. You nearly died and that was because of me and I…do you know what? I fucking hate myself for that."

Hermione swallows hard as tears well up in Harry's eyes. He paces the room and runs his hands through his hair, "The thing is I know I shouldn't be here but I didn't know who else to talk to and I ended up on your doorstep like I always do…like I always have done. I don't want it to be like this Hermione, I don't want to _want_ you so badly."

"Harry-"

"Let me finish," Harry says tearfully, "I don't want you to be the one Hermione but…you always have been."

Hermione's voice comes out quieter than she wants, "Harry," she croaks, "I can't do this anymore."

She sees the hope drain out of his eyes but she has to continue, "I can't put myself through this again. I have tried so many times to forgive you. I have spent so long hoping that this time you will get better, that this time things will be different and they never are. All you do is let me down and hurt me-"

"Hermione-"

She holds up her hand and echoes his earlier words, "Let me finish."

Harry swallows and nods. He is no longer bothering to hide the fresh tears falling from his eyes.

Hermione continues, "And I'm hurting you too. This is the second time you have come out of hospital to find me with Draco and I think that's telling us something. This whole mess somehow managed to make everything clear for me. I nearly died but I didn't and I think that was a sign that you and I are never going to work. Everything that happened reminded me of why I love Draco, the whole disaster brought us back together and Draco…he's better for me than you are."

"I know."

Hermione pauses. She has expected him to fight her on that one. The resigned 'I know' that just slipped out of his mouth has completely thrown her.

Harry seizes her silence, "He makes you a better person, he's a good husband, he's a good father. I would never have been a good husband and I would have been as much of a failure to Cassie as I was to Teddy. His Grandmother frequently reminds him not to rely on me, imagine if my daughter had been told that by her Mother. She was far happier growing up away from me, with you and Draco."

It is the first time Hermione can recall Harry calling Draco by his first name. She swallows and nods, "She was."

"I know you won't let me see her," Harry says, "And I know I screwed up any chance for us. I can't fix that but I can try my best to get better for Cassie."

"It will take a long time for me to trust you," Hermione warns him.

"I know," Harry says, "But I'll keep trying until you do. I'll get better, I'll win your trust back and when the time is right for Cassie to know the truth, I'll be there."

He is being so mature about the entire situation and it really is throwing Hermione. She simply nods and says, "Okay."

"And I'm saying goodbye to you this time," Harry adds as he backs away towards the door, "For good. I need to let you go and move on with my life, I just wish it hadn't taken me so long to realise that."

Hermione doesn't know what to say so she remains silent.

"Goodbye Hermione," Harry says with a note of finality.

"Goodbye Harry," Hermione says softly.

He grabs the door handle and pulls the door open. Hermione watches him leave and breathes a sigh of relief when the door clicks shut behind him. Somehow she feels like she finally has closure. She can finally feel a weight lifting off of her chest as she realises that she has finally let go too, it took Harry letting her go for Hermione to truly let go of him too.

She smiles to herself and allows herself to believe that things truly will get better.

* * *

Hermione opens the door, ready to make her way upstairs to the room that Draco is sharing with their two children. She gets a shock when she sees Draco standing in front of the door, his hand raised to knock at it.

She bites her lip to hide her grin, "I was just going to come and see you."

Draco smiles, "I beat you," he says as she pulls the door open fully to allow him to walk into the room.

Hermione shuts the door behind him and turns around, "How are the kids?"

"Fast asleep," Draco chuckles, "The adrenaline rush was great until it wore out."

Hermione laughs too, "You really enjoyed yourself today, didn't you?"

Draco smiles radiantly at her, "Was it that obvious?"

Hermione nods, "You looked so carefree today when you were talking about the match and the kids…I…honestly Draco, I think I will always remember today as the day that I fell in love with you all over again."

Draco's eyes meet hers and surprise shines in them, "I thought you weren't ready to say it."

"I wasn't this morning," Hermione admits, "But it is amazing how 24 hours can change your perspective on a lot of things. After everything that has happened I have finally let go of Harry and I think he has let go of me too. All that happened showed me just how much I love you, it taught me how lucky I am to have you and the moment I walked into the reception and saw you and the kids…I just thought to myself, Merlin I love that man."

Draco's smile truly reaches his eyes. They shine with happiness as he steps towards her and captures her lips in a kiss. Hermione doesn't see it coming but she isn't surprised either as she allows herself to melt into the kiss. They have tentatively been back together for the past two weeks but they haven't been intimate. Part of that was because of Hermione's recovery and another part of it was related to the betrayals that had occurred on both of their parts.

Somehow that all felt forgotten now. Everything just felt familiar and right, the scent of Draco's expensive cologne invades Hermione's nostrils as he leaves butterfly kisses on her neck. She throws her head back and rests it against the wall as a warm feeling envelopes her. Draco lifts her with ease and she wraps her legs around him like it is second nature. He carries her to the bed and throws the curtains shut with one flick of his wrist.

Hermione chuckles and looks up into his eyes. Those grey eyes are intimidating when he is angry and they are a stormy ocean when he is upset. But when he is happy they sparkle and almost look blue. She keeps her gaze locked on his as she reaches up and places her hand on the side of his cheek.

"I love you so much," He murmurs, his eyes fluttering shut as he claims her lips once more.

Hermione can only mumble a similar response as she melts into him once more.

 **TBC :)  
**


	22. The Last Summer

**Fade Into You**

 **Chapter 22 - The Last Summer  
**

There is a crack in the curtains and the bright Australian sunshine is shining through it. Hermione keeps her eyes closed and rolls over with a contented sigh. She feels Draco shift next to her and she smiles sleepily as his arm pulls her closer.

The world feels like it has been put to right. At last, Hermione knows that Harry is, and never has been, right for her. Their love was like fire, while it burned it was hot but when the flames died down, all that was left was a messy pile of ash.

Draco is the complete opposite. Harry is the fire and Draco is the ice. Fire dies if it is not kindled and Hermione, rather stupidly, has been kindling the fire for years. Now that she has let it die, all she can see is the ash.

Everyone seems to think of ice as cold and unmoving but Hermione knows that is untrue. Ice does move, it is constantly thawing and changing with the weather and the tides. It is firm and constant, just like Draco has always been. Ice melts and reforms, just like Draco. It can be cold but it is also reliable, you can predict what ice will do but fire…it can burn out of control in a matter of minutes if left unchecked.

"Stop thinking so hard love," Draco mumbles as he places a kiss on her forehead.

Hermione opens her eyes, "Good morning."

He smiles softly and runs his hand through her messy hair, "It is a good morning," he agrees.

Hermione chuckles and glances at the clock on the wall. It is 7.15am and they are due to apparate out of Australia at 9am. Her eyes widen as she sits up, "Draco! You've been here all night."

Draco's eyes widen as he realises his mistake, "Shit!" he curses as he gets to his feet and begins to throw his clothes on, "I left the kids upstairs alone!"

Hermione bites her lip and grabs her own clothes, "If we're lucky they won't be awake yet."

"And if we're not?" Draco asks with a raised eyebrow, "We tell them that Daddy just spent some alone time with Mummy last night?"

Hermione hits him, "No, we definitely _don't_ do that."

Draco shoots her an amused look as they slip out of her hotel room together, "Do you have any better ideas then, know-it-all?"

"As a matter of fact, I do," Hermione says simply, "I go to breakfast to avoid the press jumping to conclusions and you go upstairs and get the kids ready."

"And if they ask where I've been all night?" Draco counters, a smile playing on his lips.

"You'll think of something," Hermione says, smirking at him as she darts towards the elevator heading downwards.

Draco chuckles and steps out onto the staircase. Hermione leans forward and presses the button for the bottom floor of the hotel. Unfortunately for her, just before the elevator can begin its descent, someone slips into it.

Hermione bites her lip as the doors shut and Harry looks at her, "So you and Draco, that's official then?"

"No," Hermione says, "The children don't even know about it yet, we didn't want to confuse them."

Harry nods, "That makes sense, with everything else that is going on. I mean you did just get divorced and now you're back together."

"We aren't divorced," Hermione says softly.

Harry frowns at her, "What?"

"We filled the papers in," Hermione admits, "But we never filed them."

"I see," Harry says, Hermione doesn't miss the hint of betrayal in his eyes.

Hermione nods and they fall into an awkward silence as the lift continues down.

* * *

"Dad! We thought you were dead!"

Cassie rolls her eyes, " _Scorpius_ thought you were dead because you weren't here when we woke up."

Draco chuckles and scoops Scorpius up, throwing him onto his shoulders, "I was just checking that there weren't any delays at the apparition centre. But you two look ready for breakfast, are you hungry?"

"Yeah," Scorpius yawns, "I'm starving."

Cassie shrugs and follows her Father and brother out of the room. They head down to breakfast together and meet up with Hermione in the breakfast room.

After an ordinary breakfast they go their separate ways to pack and agree to meet up at the apparition centre. The hotel is busy this morning because the entire cast and crew that worked on the QWC show are clearing out and heading back to England.

"Go finish your packing Scorp," Draco says when he reaches the hotel room he has shared with his two children.

Scorpius heads into the twin room he has been sharing with Cassie, and Draco turns to his daughter, "Are you packed Cass?"

Cassie nods and crosses her arms, "You lied earlier."

"About what?" Draco asks absentmindedly as he opens his suitcase and waves his wand. It begins to pack itself and he looks at his daughter.

"You said you just headed out to make sure there were no delays," Cassie says with narrowed eyes, "But I went into your bedroom to find you and the bed was all made up. You never make the bed that neat so that means you didn't sleep in it last night. You slept in someone else's bed."

Draco curses inwardly, "Cassie-"

"Is that Pansy woman here?" Cassie asks angrily.

"No," Draco replies quickly, "She went far away and she's not going to be back again, I promise."

"Then whose bed did you sleep in Dad?" Cassie asks and Merlin, she's intimidating for an 11-year-old.

Draco fixes his daughter with a firm look. She stares right back and this continues for at least 10 minutes. Cassie smirks at him and says, "You won't win Dad."

He sighs and breaks, "Fine. You want to know who I was with? I was with your Mum."

This throws Cassie, she frowns at him, "You were in Mum's bed?"

Draco nods, "Yes, I was in her bed."

"All night?" Cassie asks slowly.

Draco clears his throat, he feels like he's been judged by a child. She really is her Mother's daughter, "I did mean to come back here before you woke up but I…slept in."

Cassie turns her gaze to him, "You and Mum are back together?"

Draco nods and glances behind him to the open door, "But nobody knows yet, not Scorp and you weren't supposed to know either."

"But you're divorced," Cassie says with a frown, "So how can you be back together?"

"We aren't divorced," Draco assures her softly, "We were filling all of the papers in but we never sent them away. When your Mum had her accident we realised how lucky that we both are to have each other so we are back together."

Cassie grins broadly, "That's great Dad!"

Draco smiles and pulls her in for a hug, "Keep it quiet until we get back to England though Cass. I think your Mum wanted to tell you and Scorp together."

"I'm really good at acting surprised," Cassie whispers, as if to assure him.

Draco just laughs and smiles broadly at her as he shouts, "Scorp! You ready? It's time to go home!"

* * *

"We need to have that conversation we've been avoiding," Hermione says quietly as she and Draco sit on the patio watching Cassie and Scorpius have a seekers match.

"I know," Draco says as he looks at her, "She needs to know the truth."

"I don't think she has to know now," Hermione says, "But she does need to be told the truth."

"Telling her just before she goes to Hogwarts is a bad idea," Draco agrees, "She would get angry and it would allow that anger to stew while she was far away from us."

"She needs to come to terms with the fact that we're back together first," Hermione says as her eyes linger on her daughter, "She needs to make peace with the fact that Harry was the one who put me in hospital. Once it has all died down a little, we can tell her the truth."

"And what do we do if she wants to build a relationship with him?" Draco asks, the pain in his eyes very raw.

"We have no choice but to let her," Hermione sighs, "But he won't be allowed to see her unless he is supervised and there will be no chance of overnight visits. I won't let him hurt her Draco, but if she wants to get to know her real Father we have to let her."

"Or we lose her," Draco says with a resigned nod.

Hermione reaches across the table and takes his hand, "But that time is not now so let's enjoy the little time we do have with our little girl before Hogwarts takes her away from us."

Draco smiles at her optimism and tightens his grip on her hand as their children swoop over on their broomsticks.

"Can you land for a moment?" Hermione asks them, "Your Dad and I want to talk to you with your feet on the ground."

The two children dismount their broomsticks and watch their parents expectantly. Hermione smiles, "We thought you might like to know that your Dad and I are back together."

Scorpius's eyes widen, "For real?"

Draco chuckles, "For real Scorp."

"Does that mean you're both going to live in the house all of the time?" Cassie asks hopefully.

Hermione's smile widens, "Yes, it means things will go back to normal sweetheart."

"I _love_ normal," Scorpius says excitedly.

Cassie nods and smiles at her parents, "Normal is pretty awesome."

Hermione raises an eyebrow at her daughter, "You seem remarkably unsurprised by this Cassie."

"No, I'm surprised," Cassie says quickly.

Hermione tries to hide her smile, "I can tell when my own daughter is lying. How did you find out and how long have you known for?"

"Only yesterday," Cassie says as she bites her lip, "And Dad told me because I worked out that he hadn't slept in his bed so he must have slept in someone else's."

Hermione chuckles and shakes her head, "You are far too smart for your own good, I'm fairly certain that hat is going to put you in Ravenclaw in a couple of months' time."

Cassie just shrugs and grins, "I don't really care, I'm just so happy that you are back together."

"And neither of us have jobs at the moment," Hermione adds, "Which means we can spend the rest of the summer doing whatever you guys want."

"Quidditch games!" Scorpius exclaims.

"I think your Mum has had enough of Quidditch for a summer," Draco chuckles as he gives Hermione a knowing look, "But there are far more fun things than just Quidditch, you'll see."

* * *

"My name is Harry. I was sober for 11 years until I relapsed three weeks ago."

"Welcome Harry," The group chorus.

Harry nods and sits back down. He can't quite believe he's back at these kind of meetings again but it's a requirement for his recovery and he really meant what he said to Hermione. He will do anything to be the kind of Father that Cassie deserves.

He surveys the group and sees many familiar faces and a few new ones. He had stopped coming to these meetings a few years ago when he felt that he no longer needed them. He had been wrong and he knows that now, he knows that he still needs them.

"We are introducing a new therapist tonight," Donnie, who has been in charge of these meetings for as long as Harry can remember, says, "I do have to retire now, my wife has been nagging at me for far too long."

The woman next to him chuckles and Donnie smiles at her, "So as of next week these meetings will be led by my colleague here, Sophie."

Sophie smiles and waves somewhat awkwardly. She is a striking woman who looks around the same age as Harry. She has dark brown hair and deep hazel eyes, her smile lights up the entire room and gets Harry's stomach fluttering in a way that it hasn't since the Hermione days.

"So my name is Sophie Roper, I'm 33 and I have a story too. It starts the same way as most stories in groups like this, I had a crappy childhood. My Dad was a pureblood who did the most shocking thing ever and fell in love with a muggle-born. They got married and had me, then my Mother was killed by Death Eaters in the first wizarding war and my Father was imperius'ed into joining them. He was bitter and angry and I watched alcohol destroy his life and promised myself that I would never let it ruin mine. When I graduated from Hogwarts, after incessant bullying for being a Slytherin with a dead muggle-born Mother, I decided to devote my life to helping people like my Dad, I couldn't save him but I have saved so many others and that almost makes it okay."

Harry is staring at her in shock, as are many other members of the group. Her story is so raw and truthful, it's hard to pull the truth out of people here. Normally it's just snapshots, the odd little truth escapes once every few weeks and it seems to help a little but not in the same way that completely venting it all out would.

Sophie smiles somewhat sadly and sits back down, "So who wants to lead us with their story?"

Harry is inspired by Sophie so he stands. Donnie's eyes widen, "You have never been one to share your story, Harry."

Harry shrugs and says, "Well I think it's about time that I do. Everyone knows why I started to drink the first time. It was cowardly of me, the war left me scarred emotionally and the only way I could forget about it was through alcohol. When I was drunk I could sleep without having nightmares of all the people who died because of me or for me. I could forget the blood and the corpses and the screams and the torture, alcohol just numbed it all for me."

A few of the member's nod in understanding as Harry takes a breath, "I finally managed to set myself on the right track and I truly thought I was better but it took a bombshell to make me realise that I wasn't. I found out that I have a daughter, I found out that someone I trusted had kept that from me for a long time and I felt betrayed. It all started flashing me back to the war and I fell back on the old habit of numbing the pain with alcohol."

Sophie's eyes meet his and it gives Harry the strength to continue, "I have been finding it so hard to resist after that one stupid night but I haven't had another sip. I did a lot of damage when I relapsed because I suffer from emotional accidental magic. I need to redeem myself if I want access to my daughter and I _want_ to be a better man before she finds out that I'm her Father. I want to be good enough for her and I'm doing whatever it takes to become a Father she can be proud of."

Harry is surprised to see tears in the eyes of his fellow members. They all clap and he smiles sheepishly as he sits down once more.

Sophie meets his eyes again and smiles, "Well done Harry, that was brave of you to speak the truth like that. Who would like to go next?"

Someone else stands up and Sophie pulls her gaze away from Harry's. He smiles softly to himself as he wonders if this could perhaps be the start of something new.

* * *

"I want to go to Hogwarts too."

"It isn't your turn yet," Hermione says as she takes Scorpius's hand, "You aren't old enough."

"But I'm going to get bored when Cassie is gone," Scorpius complains as he is dragged along Diagon Alley, "What will I do all day long?"

"You'll go to tutoring with Frank and Alice," Draco replies, "We knew you would get bored on your own so we cleared it all with Uncle Neville and Aunt Hannah."

Scorpius pauses for a moment, "I suppose that's okay then."

Cassie rolls her eyes, "Wow thanks Scorp, here's me thinking that you were going to miss me."

Draco shoots Hermione an amused look, "I have no idea where she gets that sass from."

"Oh it could as easily be you," Hermione murmurs under her breath, "I remember how sassy you were in school."

"Where are we going first Mum?" Cassie asks, interrupting her parents.

"Well we need robes and a cloak from Madam Malkins. We'll need all of your books and a telescope, scales and a wand," Hermione rattles off on her fingers.

"She won't need a cauldron," Draco says, "You can have my spare from the lab Cass, it's much better than the basic school ones."

Cassie grins, "Thanks Dad!"

Draco smiles fondly at her, "It will take a while for the robes to be fitted so I think we should do that last. Are we heading to Flourish and Blotts first or the apothecary?"

"What about Ollivander's?" Cassie asks, "I want to get my wand."

"It's at the other end of the alley Cassie, you will just have to wait," Hermione says with a stern look.

Cassie huffs, "Fine, Flourish and Blotts then."

They head into the bookshop together and buy Cassie's textbooks. Draco has to drag Hermione away from a particularly interesting book she has found but they eventually leave the shop and cross the street to the apothecary where they buy Cassie her scales and her telescope.

"Dad, I'm bored," Scorpius complains, "Can't you take me to Quality Quidditch Supplies while Cassie gets her robes fitted?"

"I'm sure I can handle that," Draco says, ruffling his son's hair and looking at his wife, "Meet you outside Ollivander's once we're both done?"

Hermione nods and kisses him lightly on the cheek. The news that they are back together is not a secret but it has not yet been announced to the press either, "Come on Cass," she says as she drags her daughter into Madam Malkin's.

"Ah, hello Hermione," The elderly lady behind the desk says with a smile.

"Hi Maud," Hermione says cheerfully, "I'm not here for myself today, it's my daughter."

Maud Malkin looks at Cassie over her glasses, "Ooh, she is your double! Hogwarts age?"

Hermione nods, "I can't quite believe it, but yes. We will need a winter cloak and three sets of standard school robes."

"Of course," Maud smiles, "Come on through and we will get you fitted young lady. Do you want to stay Hermione?"

"Do you want me to stay, Cass?" Hermione asks.

Cassie shakes her head, "I'll be fine Mum. You should probably go and make sure that Dad and Scorp don't spend all their money on broomstick accessories though."

Hermione chuckles, "Yes, you're probably right. When will I come back for her Maud?"

Maud glances at the clock on the wall, "She's just a little thing so I shall say…30 minutes."

* * *

"Ah, I thought I might find you in here."

Draco turns around and smiles, "What are you doing in a Quidditch shop Mother?"

"Looking for you," Narcissa replies as Scorpius spots her, "And you, my little Scorpio."

"Hey Grandma!" Scorpius says, hugging Narcissa's legs tightly.

Draco smiles and steers his son out of the shop into the busy alley. He grips his hand tightly to ensure that Scorpius doesn't run off, "Why were you looking for me? Is everything alright?"

"Perfectly so," Narcissa replies, "I was simply hoping to catch you before you bought Cassiopeia a pet, I would like to buy her one as a gift."

"You're in luck, she's just getting fitted for her robes and we still need to buy her a wand and a pet," Draco says.

"Do you know what she would like so that I can surprise her?" Narcissa asks, "An owl perhaps, so that she can always write to you and Hermione?"

Draco shakes his head, "No, she can use the school owls. Cassie really wants a cat, she has done for years."

"A kitten!" Scorpius adds.

Narcissa makes a face, "A kitten is not a good idea in a large castle."

"Kittens are hard work," Draco agrees, "A young cat is a better idea."

"There you are," Hermione's voice interrupts, "I wish we hadn't left it so late, the alley is – oh hello Narcissa."

Narcissa smiles, "Good afternoon Hermione. Draco and I were just discussing myself buying Cassiopeia a pet before she leaves for school."

"Oh that would be lovely, Narcissa," Hermione smiles, "She would adore a cat."

"It seems you and my son are certainly on the same wavelength," Narcissa says with a fond smile, "How are things?"

"Great," Hermione says honestly as she slips her hand into Draco's, "Better than they have been for a long time."

"They are being really gross," Scorpius says matter of factly.

"Gross?" Narcissa asks in surprise.

Scorpius nods, "Yeah, they keep kissing _in front of me_ and they're always saying that they love each other."

"That's better than living separately though, isn't it?" Narcissa asks the boy pointedly.

Scorpius frowns, "Yeah…I suppose so."

Draco shakes his head in amusement and looks back up at his Mother, "If you want to buy Cassie a cat, we can all meet up for dinner once we have finished our shopping and you can surprise her then."

"What a wonderful idea," Narcissa says brightly, "You can all come to the Manor and we can eat as a family for the last time before Cassie goes away to school. We won't all be together until Christmas otherwise."

"Great," Hermione smiles, "We'll see you later then Narcissa."

"Yeah, bye Grandma," Scorpius says, hugging her tightly for good measure.

* * *

When Cassie has been fitted for her robes, the entire family head over to Ollivander's to get her final and most crucial supply for Hogwarts, her wand.

"How long does it take to even find a wand anyway?" Cassie asks curiously.

"It depends," Draco replies, "I tried two wands and the second one was mine."

"It took me ages and about 20 wands," Hermione adds, "So your Dad is right, it really does just depend."

Draco rings the bell on the counter and a young man darts out of the aisles of wands, holding onto a moving ladder for dear life, "Ah! First wand?"

Cassie nods warily, "Uh…yes."

"Exciting!" The man says with a grin. He has dirty blonde hair and bright blue eyes, Hermione knows that he is Ollivander's nephew but even then, the family resemblance is strong.

"Let me see…young lady…ah, this one!"

Cassie cautiously takes the wand that has been handed to her and swishes it. A glass smashes somewhere in the distance and the young Ollivander makes a face, "Nope. Hmm, the wood seems right but the core…no…something gentler like…ooh maybe this one?"

Cassie is handed another wand which she swishes. Nothing happens at all, nothing good and nothing bad.

Young Ollivander frowns, "No…the combination is right but the wand does not fit the young witch. Perhaps something a little more petite…ah! This one!"

Cassie is handed a third wand. This one feels right in her hand, it is lighter than the others and shorter. It somehow seems to fit her more, she gives it a swish and a warm wind whips around her, lifting her hair and making Scorpius gasp in awe.

"That's the one!" The young Ollivander says cheerfully.

Draco smiles at his daughter and asks, "What do we owe you?"

"14 galleons please good sir," The young man replies.

As Draco reaches into his pocket for the money, Hermione asks, "What combination is the wand? If you don't mind me asking."

"Of course not," Ollivander says cheerfully, "I always like to explain how the wand helps the wizard, or witch in this case. The young lady's wand is made from beech, 9 and ¼ inches with a unicorn hair. It's bendy, very hard to turn towards dark arts, the unicorn hair lends itself to pure hearts."

Hermione smiles at her Husband, she knows for a fact that he has a unicorn hair core in his wand. He returns her smile as young Ollivander continues, "Beech's true match is a witch wise beyond her years. You can only use a beech wand if you are open minded and tolerant, when matched properly it is a glorious wand, has a very lustrous reputation the beech wand. It normally means the young one is destined for great things."

Cassie grins proudly and asks, "So what about the unicorn hair then? What does that mean Mr. Ollivander?"

"Unicorn hair," Ollivander says in a quiet voice, "Very pure, very loyal are unicorns. This wand is going to be very faithful young miss, won't work for anyone that you don't trust or love. It will always stay attached to you even if someone takes it from you, it will work for you even after years and years of separation."

"Cool," Cassie breathes.

"Very cool," Scorpius says with wide eyes.

Hermione smiles at them both, "Thank you Mr. Ollivander. Come on now children, we have dinner with your Grandma and we don't want to keep her waiting."

Cassie tucks her wand away safely and waves goodbye to the young Ollivander as they leave the shop and head for the fireplaces in the Leaky.

* * *

"I'm intrigued at the wand that chose her," Hermione says softly.

"I was wondering when you were going to mention that," Draco says.

They are lounging in one of the small, cosy reception rooms in Malfoy Manor. Narcissa treated them all to a delicious dinner and has just disappeared under the pretence of getting everyone a drink. Hermione and Draco know that she has actually gone to retrieve the cat that she has bought Cassie.

Cassie and her brother are keeping each other company on the other side of the room with a game of gobstones. Cassie is winning by miles and that's her going easy on her little brother.

"It's interesting," Hermione says as she looks at her husband, "I mean a wand like that is suited to Charms for a start so I doubt she'll take after me with Transfiguration."

"You were good at everything," Draco says with a fond smile, "You still are."

Hermione rolls her eyes, "And I'm not surprised that the core is unicorn hair. She is very pure and innocent in a lot of ways, I know that she would never even be tempted by the dark arts, she's far too headstrong and stubborn."

"Like her real Father," Draco murmurs.

"But her wand is far more similar to yours," Hermione says with a smile, "That's why I'm intrigued. I always wondered if there was something in her genetics that made her take after Harry but now I'm not so sure. Pure of heart like her Father, a wand made for Charms, just like her Fathers."

"The beech wood is different," Draco says thoughtfully, "I don't know anyone with a beech wood wand."

"It's rare," Hermione agrees, "But what Ollivander said was spot on. Wise beyond her years? That's Cassie through and through."

Draco nods, "Makes you wonder where she's going to be when she goes up to school in a couple of weeks, doesn't it?"

"I'm convinced she's destined for Ravenclaw," Hermione admits, "Where do you think she'll end up?"

"I really wondered about Gryffindor for a long time," Draco says honestly, "She's headstrong, stubborn and brave, like her Mother. Now though…I think you might be onto something with your Ravenclaw idea."

Hermione chuckles but has no time to say anymore on the subject as Narcissa steps back into the room with a cat box in her hands, "Cassiopeia, I bought you a leaving present."

Cassie's eyes widen, "Oh my gosh Grandma! Is that a cat, for me?"

Narcissa smiles and opens the door, "It certainly is. What do you think of him?"

"He's perfect!" Cassie gushes as she scoops the tabby cat up into her arms, "I love him! Thank you Grandma!"

Hermione is smiling broadly at her daughter's reaction when Draco whispers, "Is it just me or does our daughters cat look remarkably like Professor McGonagall?"

Hermione lets out a reluctant giggle as she smacks him on the arm and mutters, "Oh shut up, you pain in the arse."

Draco just smirks and slips his hand into hers, "Your pain in the arse, darling," he jokes.

Hermione can't even come up with a catty response. She is far too pleased that her world seems to be mending itself, her children are happy and she and Draco are fixing the wrongs of the past rather successfully.

It's only a shame that it's all going to end soon when Cassie has to leave them all for Hogwarts.

* * *

The last two weeks of the summer fly by far too quickly. Hermione has not seen Harry since their awkward meeting in the elevator as they were leaving the hotel in Australia. She knows from Neville and Hannah that he is getting his life back on track and she's very grateful for that.

However, she is having such a good time enjoying the last time she and Draco have with Cassie before she goes to school, that she doesn't even think about Harry. Their family Quidditch games and outings ensure that the weeks are very enjoyable but that also makes them pass quickly and before they know it, they are standing on platform 9 ¾.

"Don't cry, love," Draco murmurs as he stands on the platform with his arm around Hermione.

There are no photographers here thankfully, after their family outing in Diagon Alley it had become public knowledge that they were back together and both Draco and Hermione are sick of interviews and photoshoots.

"I'm not crying," Hermione says a little tearfully, "I'm just happy for her."

Draco gives her a knowing look, "She's going to love Hogwarts and we'll see her at Christmas."

"Christmas is such a long time away," Hermione says as she hastily wipes her tears, "I'm going to miss her something dreadful."

"I am too," Draco says quietly, just so that Hermione can hear.

She smiles sadly at him and retrieves Cassie from where she is talking to her older Weasley 'cousins'.

"We only have five more minutes' sweetheart so it's goodbye time."

Cassie nods and hugs Scorpius, "See you at Christmas Scorp."

Scorpius nods miserably, "Yeah, see you at Christmas Cass."

Hermione pulls her daughter into a tight hug, "Make sure that you write all of the time, okay? I'm going to miss you so much, I'll need to hear all about the friends you're going to make and the classes you're taking."

"I promise to write Mum," Cassie says, kissing her Mum on the cheek, "At least once a week."

Draco smiles sadly and hugs his daughter, "I'm going to miss you too Cass. You make sure you have a great time at school though and we'll be waiting to hear all about it at Christmas."

Cassie looks a little tearful herself as she pulls back and nods, "I'll write to you as soon as I get sorted."

"Come on Cass!" Ross Weasley shouts.

"Just coming!" Cassie says as the warning whistle sounds.

Scorpius gets a little teary so Hermione bends down to reassure him. Cassie seizes the opportunity to look at her Dad and whisper, "Dad, what if I'm in Slytherin?"

"There's nothing wrong with being in Slytherin baby," Draco says softly, "If the hat does put you there it means that it thinks you have great ambition and people with ambition can do amazing things. It doesn't mean you're going to be a horrible person, the world isn't like that anymore."

"You promise?" Cassie whispers.

"I promise," Draco says as he kisses her on the forehead, "Wherever you are, whether its Slytherin, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff, you will still always be our Cassie and we'll love you just the same."

"You don't care if I'm in Gryffindor?" Cassie asks in surprise.

Draco shakes his head and smiles at her, "I'm your Dad, Cassie. The only thing I care about is your happiness."

Cassie smiles brightly at him as Ross shouts, "Come on Cassie! Shift your Malfoy butt!"

Cassie rolls her eyes at her Dad, "Weasley's," she mutters as she turns around and shouts, "I'm coming Ross, shut your Weasley butt!"

Draco chuckles in amusement as Cassie darts towards the train and pulls her trunk behind her. She follows Ross (who is Ron's spitting image) into a carriage full of Weasley's. Teddy is there with his girlfriend Victoire. Her younger sister Dominique and brother Louis are in the carriage too, Louis is the same age as Cassie and will be sorted this year too.

"Come on Molly! We'll leave without you!" Ross shouts out of the window.

Molly Weasley (the second) wriggles out of her Mother's grasp and ignores her Father's shouts of, "Be good! Study! Do your homework!"

Hermione tries not to laugh at Percy, he really hasn't changed much at all. However, in his wife Audrey, he has found someone as pedantic and irritating as himself.

Inside the carriage Cassie rolls her eyes and pulls Ross out of the window by the back of his collar, "Ross, stop being an ass."

Draco bites back his amusement, "Let's just hope that those two aren't in the same house."

Hermione chuckles as Molly jumps onto the train as it begins to move off. She joins the Weasley's (and Malfoy) in the carriage and they all scrabble to the window to wave goodbye to their parents.

Hermione stands with one hand in Draco's and the other waving at the train. They stand there until the train has rounded the corner and Cassie is out of sight. Hermione's stomach churns and she sighs, "She's gone."

Draco squeezes her shoulder and steers her towards the barrier, "Only for a few months' love."

Hermione knows that he is right but with her first child, a few months feels like a very long time indeed.

 **TBC :)  
**


	23. Good in Goodbye

**Fade Into You**

 **Chapter 23 – Good in Goodbye  
**

Scorpius is in his bed when the floo in the living room whirs to life. Hermione and Draco are both in the room, reading a book and the newspaper respectively.

"William Weasley," A disembodied voice says, announcing the 'caller'.

"Access granted," Hermione replies.

There is a click and the floo roars as it turns green. Bill emerges from the fireplace and dusts himself down, "Well, that was an interesting sorting."

Hermione and Draco both lean forward instinctively.

Bill notices this and smirks, "My Louis went into Gryffindor so I now have a Slytherin, a Ravenclaw and a Gryffindor. Ross is a Gryffindor, no surprises there. Oh and our Molly, she's a Ravenclaw as well."

"And Cassie?" Hermione asks, "She's in Ravenclaw, surely?"

"Or Gryffindor," Draco says, "She could quite easily be in Gryffindor."

"Well she was a hatstall, I can tell you that much," Bill says matter of factly, "Poor girl sat there for 5 minutes while the hat tried to make its mind up."

"Where did it put her in the end?" Draco asks.

Hermione narrows her eyes at the eldest Weasley, "Quit leaving us in suspense Bill."

Bill laughs loudly and replies, "Well she's her Father's daughter, so it seems. She's in Slytherin."

"Slytherin?" Draco and Hermione echo.

Bill nods and surveys them, "You didn't see that coming, did you?"

Draco chuckles, "I didn't but I can't say I'm not proud of her. I bet she was a hatstall between Slytherin and Ravenclaw."

"I'm sure she was," Hermione says, smiling fondly at Draco, "But it's nice to see that she takes after her Dad, in all the ways that matter anyway."

Bill makes a face, "If you two are going to be all romantic about it then I'm going to head back to the school. I just thought you would want to know before the letter gets here."

"Thanks Bill," Hermione smiles, "It was really sweet of you to pop over."

Bill waves his hand, "It's nothing. See you both later," he says as he wastes no time in stepping back into the fire and disappearing from the room with a loud whir.

Hermione looks at Draco and smiles, "Slytherin, Draco. How proud are you of our little girl?"

"I'm proud," Draco says, "And it will open everyone's eyes. Slytherin isn't what people still seem to think it is, the daughter of a war heroine getting sorted there will show people that."

"The daughter of two war heroes," Hermione muses, "I wonder what Harry will think…"

"It doesn't really matter," Draco says, "He may be her Father by blood but this just proves that genetics have nothing to do with sorting."

"I don't know…" Hermione says, "Harry was a hatstall for Slytherin. He's ambitious and cunning, the hat thought he would have done well there."

"I never knew that," Draco says with a frown, "But I'm glad he ended up in Gryffindor. Can you imagine that? Me and Potter being best friends?"

"The horror," Hermione says sarcastically.

Draco chuckles, "Are you really okay with Cass being in Slytherin?"

"As long as she's happy, I'm happy," Hermione replies, "It's a shame that her friends are in different houses but I'm sure she will make new friends in Slytherin. In a way I'm glad that she's not in Gryffindor, I'm glad that she isn't too much like Harry. I don't think I want her to be, I don't like his temper and his habit of running headfirst into danger. I'm happy that she has taken after you but I do worry that people in her house might pick on her because her Mother isn't worthy."

Draco glares at her, "You aren't a pureblood but if you think that doesn't make you worthy then you are _so_ wrong."

Hermione smiles and takes his hand in hers, "You know what I mean, Draco."

Draco shakes his head irritably, "If anyone gives her any trouble because of her parentage, I will be at that school in a second because she's-"

"She's your little girl and you would do anything to protect her from harm," Hermione says with a knowing, fond smile, "I know and I love you for it."

Draco gives her a half smile and shakes his head, "I still can't believe it, our Cassie in Slytherin."

"I am going to have to tell Harry," Hermione says with a roll of her eyes, "I promised to keep him informed since he _is_ her biological Father."

"If he gives you any trouble for it, tell me," Draco says.

"And have you duel him again?" Hermione quips as she gets up and stretches, "I'll take my chances on my own. But I think I'll do it in a public place so he can't lose his temper too badly…"

Draco yawns and gets to his feet, "If it wasn't for the fact that I'm starting my new job in the DMLE tomorrow, I'd have offered to go with you."

"And I wouldn't have let you," Hermione says pointedly, "For the reasons outlined 2 seconds ago. It's my problem…I'll figure out how to tell him, are you coming to bed?"

Draco nods and puts his newspaper down, "That sounds like an excellent idea."

* * *

Hermione tries everything to _avoid_ seeing Harry. She really doesn't want to tell him, in person, that his daughter has been sorted into Slytherin. However, after he ignores her texts and calls for a week, she has no choice.

She sighs as she stands outside Grimmauld Place. She raises her hand and rings the doorbell, secretly hoping that Harry is out.

Unfortunately for her, he isn't. Footsteps approach and the door is pulled open, Harry is still in his pyjamas and he frowns when he sees Hermione on the doorstep, "Uh…good morning?"

Hermione smiles weakly, "Can I come in? I need to talk to you about Cassie."

Harry takes a step back and nods. Hermione walks into the house and follows Harry into the basement kitchen, "Tea?"

"Sure," Hermione replies as she leans against the kitchen counter and surveys Harry, "You ignored my texts and calls."

"I was busy," Harry says awkwardly.

Hermione smiles sadly, "You were ignoring me."

Harry sighs, "Well things aren't exactly all that friendly between us at the moment, Hermione."

"I know," Hermione admits, "But I thought you might like to know which house your daughter was sorted into."

Harry looks up sharply, "I thought we had agreed that I'm not fit to be a Father to her."

"We had," Hermione says, "But when you asked to be kept informed I thought this was what you meant. Don't you want to know how she was sorted?"

"Of course I want to know," Harry says as the kettle screeches loudly.

Hermione bites her lip as Harry turns his back to her and pours the tea, "Well she didn't take after either of us."

"So not Gryffindor," Harry says, placing a cup of tea on the table in front of Hermione, "Ravenclaw?"

Hermione shakes her head and catches Harry's eye, "Slytherin."

Harry's eyes widen, "Slytherin?"

Hermione nods, "I would never have guessed it either, I thought with her brains it had to be Ravenclaw but the more I think about it the more it makes sense. She does have a lot of ambition and she can be a sneaky little pain in the ass sometimes. She's a lot like her Father in that sense."

"Which one?" Harry asks in a meagre attempt at a joke.

"Both of them," Hermione says, smiling slightly, "Draco's pleased, obviously."

"I'm not unhappy," Harry says, fixing her with a long look, "If that's what you're implying."

"I wasn't sure how you would take it if I'm honest," Hermione says honestly.

"Well, all I can say is that Slytherin house has gained a great young witch," Harry says simply.

Hermione smiles, "So we can be civil then?"

"We seem to be managing it fine," Harry says, the hint of a smile making its way onto his face.

Hermione opens her mouth to say that she's glad but she doesn't get the chance. A female voice calls from the hallway, "How long does it take to make a cup of coffee Harry?"

Hermione's eyes widen and Harry looks sheepish as the owner of the voice walks into the kitchen wearing one of Harry's old shirts.

"Oh, hi," Sophie says awkwardly, "I didn't realise you had company, sorry."

"No," Harry says as Sophie makes for the door, "Stay Soph, I wanted to introduce you to Hermione."

Sophie's eyes widen with recognition, " _The_ Hermione? The great love story?"

Hermione laughs nervously, " I don't know about that, just the Mother of his child."

Harry bites his lip, "Yeah, I hadn't told her that part yet."

Sophie rolls her eyes, "Harry, the moment you told me you had a daughter who was Hogwarts age I worked out who her Mother was."

Hermione watches the interplay with a slight smile.

Harry rolls his eyes and says, "Hermione, this is Sophie my…therapist."

Hermione lets a grin slip onto her face, "Your therapist?"

"Don't judge me, she made the first move," Harry says, shooting a playful look Sophie's way.

Sophie smiles sheepishly, "Yeah, I did."

"I feel like I recognise you Sophie," Hermione says as she looks at the woman.

"6th year Ancient Runes, we sat together," Sophie replies.

"Oh!" Hermione realises, "I remember, you were in Slytherin weren't you?"

"Guilty," Sophie smiles.

"I can't talk, I'm outnumbered now," Hermione says with a smile, "My Husband was in Slytherin and now my daughter is too."

"You never know, Scorp might be in Gryffindor," Harry points out.

Hermione snorts, "I doubt it, he's a bit of a softy and not the bravest of the bunch either."

"Neither was Neville as a kid," Harry says.

"That's true," Hermione agrees as she pushes herself off of the counter, "Well I had better get a move on, I won't keep you any longer."

"Have you found work yet, Hermione?" Harry asks before she can leave.

"I've got a concept meeting today," Hermione replies, "It's a panel show, they want Chelsea and I to be team captains. How about you?"

"I've been given my own radio show," Harry says with a smile, "Just a little Quidditch thing, half an hour every week."

Hermione truly is happy for him, "Congratulations, it's about time that you stepped out of the shadows."

Harry's smile reaches his eyes and Sophie looks as proud as Hermione feels. She begins to wonder as she says her goodbyes and heads for the WWN, if things might finally be looking up for Harry.

* * *

"I was wondering when I might see you here," Neville says as Harry walks into his greenhouse at Hogwarts.

"I got my timing right this time, didn't I?" Harry asks.

Neville nods and pulls his gloves off, "Yeah, classes are over. You here to check up on Cass?"

"I don't need to," Harry says honestly, "I know she'll be doing okay, she's a tough kid. Bit of a surprise that she went into Slytherin though."

"Maybe to some," Neville says, "But I can't say I'm that surprised. Hermione has a Slytherin streak and Cass has always looked up to Draco."

Harry hums thoughtfully, "Well as long as she's happy, I'm happy. She isn't being bullied is she?"

"Not as far as I know," Neville says honestly, "She's friends with Victoire Weasley who is a prefect in Slytherin so I guess that makes the other kids respect her. I assume you worry she'll be bullied because of Hermione?"

"Well yes," Harry admits, "Sophie was bullied at school for having a muggle-born mother and she was in Slytherin."

Neville frowns, "Sophie?"

Harry grins sheepishly, "Yeah, Sophie Roper, we went to school with her and she's my…well she's my girlfriend actually."

Neville raises an eyebrow at him, "And how did you meet her?"

"Well it's kind of a funny story," Harry admits, "She's a therapist at the AA meetings I go to."

Neville's face breaks out into a grin, "You're sleeping with your therapist?"

"Yeah," Harry says with a chuckle, "Cliché, I know."

Neville shakes his head in amusement, "So you went from sleeping with a 21-year-old to sleeping with your therapist? Do you have a whole load of weird fetishes I don't know about?"

Harry snorts, "No, I just happened to meet Sophie through the meetings and we hit it off."

"Two Slytherins," Neville muses, "Chelsea was in Slytherin, wasn't she?"

"Yeah, she was actually," Harry says with a thoughtful look, "I had never thought about it that way before."

"Maybe you just like demanding, high maintenance women," Neville jokes.

"Sophie isn't high maintenance," Harry says with a smile, "She's the most down to earth person that I have ever met. She knows about Cassie and she's fine with it, she and Hermione were even civil to each other the other day when Hermione dropped by to tell me that Cassie had been sorted."

"Well you do have a child together," Neville says practically, "If you can be civil to each other or remain friends it will make that easier."

"Trust me, I know," Harry says, "But I have no idea how this three way parenting is going to go when Hermione and Draco decide to tell Cassie the truth."

Neville shrugs and pulls his gloves back on, "Well you're just going to have to wait and see. You know what I always say Harry, hope-"

"Hope for the best, prepare for the worst," Harry says in unison with his best friend.

"Exactly," Neville says.

"I will," Harry promises as he pulls on a pair of gloves, "Want a hand?"

Neville smiles broadly at his friend, "Sure, it's nice to see you helping me with my shit instead of me helping you with your shit, for a change."

Harry frowns, "Hang on a minute, what are you doing here?"

Neville smirks, "Planting venomous tentacula seeds into centaur manure to help them grow."

Harry drops the handful of manure and makes a face, "Seriously!"

Neville just laughs rather wickedly.

* * *

"So…"

Harry glances warily at Sophie, "When you say so like that it's normally followed by something therapist-y."

Sophie smirks at him, "Funny that, considering that I _am_ a therapist."

Harry snorts and says, "Go on then, analyse me."

Sophie bites back an innuendo and asks, "How do you actually feel about your daughter getting sorted into Slytherin?"

"I am actually fine with it," Harry assures her as they sip coffee together in a little muggle café that is hidden away in London.

"Really?"

"Really," Harry says honestly, "I'd be a bit of a hypocrite if I wasn't, wouldn't I? It's not like my girlfriend was a Slytherin or anything."

"How did your friend take that bombshell?" Sophie asks, an amused smile playing on her lips.

Harry chuckles, "He laughed at me for sleeping with my therapist and questioned my morals."

Sophie laughs loudly, "I think I want to meet this friend. That doesn't sound like the Neville Longbottom I remember from school."

"This is post-war, snake killing, badass awesome Neville," Harry says with a grin, "But despite all of that he still manages to be the nicest, most caring guy that there is. I mean he's the only person who can control _my_ uncontrollable magic but he spends his days teaching kids how to pot mandrakes and feed venomous tentacula."

"Just because he has the power doesn't mean he wants to use it," Sophie says wisely.

Harry rolls his eyes, "Sometimes you really do sound like a therapist."

Sophie grins, "I _am_ a therapist, I don't just pretend so I can go to AA meetings and ensnare hot guys."

Harry barks out a laugh, "Do you know something? I think you and Neville are going to like each other a lot, oh and I think you'll like his wife Hannah too."

"I remember Hannah from school," Sophie says, "I was friends with her friend Susan. Hannah always seemed a bit timid."

Harry snorts, "The Hannah I know is not timid, at all," he says, "I'll invite them round for dinner sometime, you'll see."

Sophie frowns, "Won't that be a little awkward? Hannah is Hermione's best friend, isn't she?"

Harry shrugs, "So what? Hermione and I can't avoid seeing each other and we have too many mutual friends to avoid seeing them too. We have a daughter together; we're going to have to see a lot of each other. She has to be okay with me being with you and I have to be okay with her being married to Draco."

"Are you okay with that?" Sophie quips.

"You're not some flash in the pan rebound thing Sophie," Harry says, fixing her with a firm look and taking her hand, "I still think Draco was an arsehole in school but I can see that he's a good husband and a good Father. Despite everything that's happened between us in the past, I'll try and be civil towards him for those reasons."

"That's very wise of you," Sophie says with a smile, "And for the record, he was an arsehole to you because he envied you."

Harry frowns, "Draco did?"

Sophie nods, "I've always been good at reading people, hence why I became a therapist. Draco wanted to become your friend and you rebuffed him, he was humiliated and like I said, he envied you."

Harry scoffs, "I don't know why anyone would have envied me back then, I spent my days trying not to get killed by Voldemort."

"But you had friends," Sophie says, "You clearly had friends who loved you and stood by you. Draco never had that, all he had were sidekicks who did what he said and Pansy who annoyed the living daylights out of him mostly. Those of us who knew him also knew that he had been in love with Hermione pretty much forever and it was obvious that she had feelings for you."

"He had feelings for her that long ago?" Harry asks in surprise, "I thought it had just sprung up when they met up that time after the war."

Sophie shakes her head, "No, I don't know when it really started but I know that he bullied her to get a rise out of her because he didn't know how else to get her attention. Things changed in 4th year, around the time of the yule ball, and I think that was when he started to fall for her."

"Shit," Harry mutters under his breath, "That must have been horrible for him, watching us fall in love and get together…"

"Yeah, I think it was," Sophie admits, "So when Hermione and him met up and she actually started to fall for him it must have felt like a dream come true."

"Which explains why he holds onto her as tightly as he does," Harry realises.

Sophie nods, "So you have to cut him a bit of slack on that front."

"Yeah," Harry sighs, "If I thought an apology would help I would, but I think it would just make things worse."

Sophie nods and grips his hand, "Like you said, just try and be civil for your daughter's sake."

* * *

"Hermione, the post is here!"

Hermione nearly drops the teapot in her rush to the patio. The air is crisp and clean, Draco likes it this way which is why he has been reading his newspaper out on the patio in the mornings.

"Is there a letter from Cassie?" Hermione asks eagerly.

Draco smiles at her and hands out a letter, written in their daughters familiar neat handwriting, "Read it aloud, will you?"

"Of course," Hermione says as she eagerly rips into the letter. It has been two weeks now since Cassie started school and this is only their second letter. The first was very short and its main purpose had been to tentatively inform them that she had been placed in Slytherin.

Hermione and Draco had composed a reply telling Cassie how proud they were and that they truly were not fazed by her being in Slytherin. This letter is the first to arrive since then though and Hermione is feeling her loss for her daughter tremendously.

" _Mum and Dad,_

 _Sorry I haven't written a long letter yet; it's just been kind of crazy busy but in an awesome way. My favourite professor is Uncle Nev, obviously, he's so great and everyone loves him (even the Slytherins and he's head of Gryffindor!). My least favourite professor is probably Professor Slughorn, he's kind of strict and I don't really like that he only likes famous people. He invited me to some stupid sluggy party or something, apparently it's because my Mum is famous but I'm not going, don't worry."_

Hermione paused and bit her lip, "She really is quite like me."

"But different too," Draco says with a slight smile, "You kind of liked the fact Slughorn thought you were good enough to be in his club."

"That was different," Hermione argues, "He thought I was good even though I was muggle-born and that was a big deal to me. He basically plucked Cass out as a potential club member because she has famous parents."

"One famous parent," Draco corrects, "The other is infamous."

Hermione shrugs, "I don't think so, but I'll never convince you that you are actually a pretty decent person so shall I just continue reading?"

Draco smirks at the sarcasm in her voice, "Yes, please do."

" _I was a bit upset that all of my friends are in different houses but it isn't actually too bad because we still share classes. Slytherins share all of their classes with Gryffindor pretty much which means I'm stuck with Ross and Louis all the time, I don't mind too much though. I don't really get to see Molly very much because the only class I get with her is Herbology. Uncle Nev paired us up though, he winked at me so I know he did it on purpose."_

"Neville always has been a softy," Draco says with an amused smile.

Hermione chuckles, "Cassie is happy so I suppose we'll have to thank him. It's good that she still sees her friends a lot though."

"Has she made any new friends?" Draco asks, "Does she say?"

Hermione scans the letter and nods, "Yes, listen to this…"

" _Some people did try and bully me this week. A few of the older Slytherins said that my Dad had married a filthy…well you know that horrible word for muggle-born. I was going to jinx them but before I could Victoire bat-bogey-ed one of them and Teddy punched the other one in the face! The older kids ran away crying and no one has bothered me since, Teddy said I'm like a sister to him and no one messes with his little sister."_

Draco smiles slightly, "Well as much as I don't condone violence, I am rather pleased that Teddy and Victoire stood up for her."

"I'm sure she would have done a fine job on her own," Hermione admits, "But it will have scared them off and hopefully that's enough to stop the bullying for good."

"I told you, if it isn't I'll go down there myself," Draco says.

Hermione knows that he will but she hopes that he never needs to, _"After that the other Slytherins started talking to me a little more. I've made two friends so far, my best friend is Lucy, well her name is actually Lucille but she hates it so everyone calls her Lucy. She says that you know her parents? Her Mum is called Daphne and she knew Dad at school and her Dad is called Dean, apparently he was friends with Mum and Uncle Harry?"_

Hermione pauses, "Daphne Greengrass and Dean Thomas?"

"Uh-huh," Draco replies, "Didn't you know about that one?"

"No," Hermione frowns, "Are they together?"

Draco scoffs, "No, they dated for a while and broke up when their daughter was really young."

"I never knew that," Hermione admits, "And I had her as a guest on my show."

Draco smirks, "Maybe you need to hire a better researcher."

Hermione tries to hide her smile about his jibe at Harry as she smacks him on the arm, "Shut up and listen to the rest of Cassie's letter."

" _Lucy is really nice and she was a hatstall too, except the hat nearly put her in Gryffindor instead of Ravenclaw like me. She introduced me to Salvatore (He won the who has the weirdest name contest and I came second), he's her best friend. They've been friends since they were young because their Mums are best friends, Sal thinks you know his Mum too, she's called Lisa."_

"Lisa Turpin," Draco says, "She was in Ravenclaw, her and Daphne were friends at Hogwarts. I heard that she married an ex-England player, he was quite a bit older than her. I never knew they had any kids though."

"Well Cassie seems happy enough," Hermione says cheerfully, "But Slytherins do give their children weird names, don't they? Cassiopeia, Salvatore and Lucille…"

"Tradition," Draco jokes, "And as I recall it, you quite liked the name Cassiopeia."

"I did," Hermione admits, "But Scorpius, that was all on you."

"I'll take the blame for that one if he ever complains about it," Draco chuckles, "Does Cassie say anything else in her letter?"

Hermione shakes her head, "Just that Hogwarts is awesome and her classes are awesome and that she will write again next week."

"So everything is awesome," Draco says with an amused smile.

Hermione rolls her eyes, "Awesome must be the in thing, but I need to get to work. See you tonight?"

"See you tonight," Draco says as Hermione walks to the door, "I'll even cook dinner for you!"

Hermione smiles to herself as she slips into the house to grab her coat and head to the WWN. Not for the first time in recent weeks, she is reminded of quite how lucky she is.

* * *

Harry was not lying when he told Hermione that he was trying very hard to get better for Cassie. Sophie is a huge help in that, but that does not mean that this is an easy journey. The cravings are bearable but the hard part is healing all of the wounds, the emotional ones.

Sophie tells him that he needs to fully make amends with his past before he can embrace his future. He is worried about being a terrible Father to Cassie because he was such a failure to Teddy when he was young.

As a result of this, Harry finds himself standing in front of a Victorian Manor house with his hand raised to knock on the large oak door. He takes a breath and knocks after a good few minutes of deliberation. Within seconds the door swings open of its own accord and a bright eyed house-elf squeaks, "Good morning Master Potter. Young Mister Teddy is at school now, do you wishes to see him?"

"I'm actually here to see Andromeda, Freda," Harry says with a smile, "Is she in?"

"She is taking tea in the breakfast room," Freda squeaks, "Would you likes to be joining her?"

"Yes please," Harry replies.

Freda bows and admits Harry into the house. The door shuts loudly behind him and he follows the little elf up a set of stairs into a beautiful room. It is square and three out of four walls are actually large glass panels, the room is bright and warm. There is a small circular table at its heart where Andromeda sits alone.

She looks very beautiful and majestic, even as she ages. Her dark brown hair is flecked with grey but her blue eyes are very sharp as they narrow, "Harry."

Harry smiles weakly at her, "Andromeda, do you mind if I join you?"

Andromeda beckons at the empty seat opposite her and Harry nervously takes it. He squirms under her gaze as she pours him a cup of tea.

"What brings you here?"

Harry clears his throat and says, "Well honestly, I want to make amends."

"Amends?" Andromeda asks, the confusion in her voice clear.

Harry nods, "I'm sure you've heard all about my recent troubles from Teddy."

"I've heard snippets," Andromeda says distastefully, "But not from my Grandson, I hear things from my sister."

Harry knows that Andromeda is in touch with Narcissa, he forgets sometimes that they probably gossip like a pair of old witches. He hums thoughtfully, "Well it landed me in rehab again and now I'm back at the AA meetings following all of the steps."

Andromeda nods stiffly and Harry can feel the disapproval emanating from her.

"So step 1, I admitted that I was an alcoholic and accepted that I had relapsed and needed help," Harry says, staring into the depths of his tea, "Step 2, I made the decision to accept help by going back to the meetings and talking to a therapist."

"As I recall it, step 3 was always your problem," Andromeda says dryly, "You were never good at identifying and accepting the cause of your addiction."

Harry ignores her bluntness, "I wasn't, but I did. I admitted that the war was my catalyst, I identified all of them, the betrayal, the helplessness, all of it."

Andromeda begins to look at him more softly. She nods and indicates that he should continue so Harry says, "Step 4, I confessed all of my wrongs. I wrote a list of all the mistakes I had made and I accepted that they were all caused by my addiction. Step 5, I made a list of all the people who I hurt because of my addiction and promised myself to make amends to all of them."

"So now you are on step 6," Andromeda says as she surveys him, "Making amends with all of the people on that list."

Harry nods, "The final step."

"How many people are on that list?" Andromeda asks.

"A fair amount," Harry says with a frown, "I started with the earliest mistakes I made which meant that the first two names were yours and Teddy's."

Andromeda stares at him with an expression that he can't read, "I see."

"I came here to apologise Andromeda," Harry says honestly, "I don't know what more I can do to make amends with you. All I know is that I was a useless Godfather to Teddy and I didn't help you enough, that deserves an apology."

"You were a failure to him in his early years," Andromeda admits, "He could not rely on you and I could not rely on you, but you have not been an entire failure Harry."

Harry sighs, "Is being a good Godfather to him when he was older and therefore easier to look after really okay though? You lost your daughter in the war and you had to become a full time Grandmother to her infant son while I lived the high life with Hermione and drank my life away."

"I was angry for a very long time," Andromeda says honestly, "And unfortunately that bitterness was clear to Teddy which I had never intended. In truth, I needed your help more than ever when he was a baby. It was hard having lost Dora and a baby is difficult work."

"I wasn't there when it mattered the most," Harry agrees, unable to look Andromeda in the eye.

"I won't lie to you and say that isn't true, because it is," Andromeda says bluntly, "You weren't a constant factor in Teddy's life until he was 6 years old and that is the truth. Before that you sometimes showed up for birthdays and Christmas and sometimes you didn't. Sometimes you showed up drunk and I had to throw you out. You either bought him a wonderful present or completely forgot and that upset him. It upset me to see him admire you and constantly get let down by you."

Harry swallows a lump in his throat and nods.

"But," Andromeda adds, "You _were_ there for him when you got better. You never missed a birthday or Christmas after that, you took him out to Quidditch games, cheered him on at Little League, helped him with his tutoring. From that point onwards you were a Father to him."

"But I missed so much," Harry says quietly, "For him and Cassie. I just can't help thinking of all the things I missed."

"You missed the milestone moments," Andromeda agrees, "First steps, first word, first tooth. You missed that but you were with him when he bought his first wand, you bought him his first pet, you stood on the platform and tried not to cry when the train took him away to Hogwarts. You haven't been there for him for his entire life but you have made up for those 6 lost years in the past 10 Harry, I truly mean that."

Harry smiles tearfully at Andromeda and says, "Thank you Andromeda, you have no idea how much that means to me."

Andromeda reaches across the table and takes his hand, "You have made your apology to me and I accept it but you have made enough amends with Teddy in the past 10 years. Who else is on your list?"

Harry takes a breath and replies, "Neville and Hannah, Ron, Hermione and…Cassie, when she finds out that I'm her Father."

"I think the last two people on that list will be the hardest," Andromeda says.

Harry nods, "I put Hermione through so much pain, I nearly killed her when I relapsed in July. I can't even begin to apologise enough and I really don't think that a hundred apologies will make her truly forgive me. As for Cassie…I missed even more of her childhood than Teddy's."

"But you never knew that she was your daughter," Andromeda says wisely, "Remember that Harry."

"I will," Harry promises as he looks down at his forgotten tea.

Andromeda squeezes his hand briefly then lets go, "Good, now drink your tea."

Harry chuckles and picks up the lukewarm cup of tea to follow the older woman's orders.

* * *

 _Knock. Knock._

"Scorp! Answer the door!"

Scorpius groans, "Why can't you answer the door Dad?"

"Because I'm covered in cat sick Scorpius," Draco says irritably, "Thanks to you feeding Crookshanks bloody chocolate biscuits!"

Scorpius has the decency to look sheepish as he yanks on the door handle and looks at the man on the doorstep, "Hey Uncle Harry! Dad, Uncle Harry is here!"

Harry shifts awkwardly from one foot to the other, "Uh it's actually your Mum that I'm here to see Scorpius, is she in?"

"Nope," Scorpius replies, taking Harry's hand and pulling him into the house, "She's at a rehearsal for this new thing she's doing with Chelsea. It's going to have bad words in it and be on late at night so I won't be allowed to watch it."

"Well I'll come back later then-" Harry begins to say.

Scorpius shakes his head, "No, stay! You can talk to Dad," he says, pulling Harry into the living room.

Draco has been busy cursing under his breath and hasn't heard Scorpius talking to Harry. He glances up and does a double take when he sees him standing in the doorway, "Potter?"

"It's okay, I was here to see Hermione but I didn't realise she was working," Harry says quickly, "I'll just come back later."

"No, stay for coffee, please Uncle Harry!" Scorpius says, looking pleadingly at his Father.

Draco sighs, "Yeah stay for coffee. Scorpius, go and get changed please."

Scorpius nods and darts out of the room. Harry glances at Draco and makes a face, "What's that smell?"

"Cat vomit," Draco mutters irritably as he performs a few cleaning charms, "That's what happens when your bloody son decides to feed a 21-year-old kneazle chocolate fucking biscuits."

Harry snorts in amusement, "That thing is still alive?"

Crookshanks meows pathetically and Draco says, "That thing is half dead but Hermione still thinks of it as her baby."

"I always hated that cat," Harry says as Draco mutters, "I fucking hate that cat."

They look at each other awkwardly for a moment until Draco rolls his eyes and says, "I need a coffee."

He walks towards the kitchen so Harry follows him. He sits down at the island in the middle of the kitchen while Draco puts the kettle on and asks, "What do you need Hermione for anyway?"

"I need to make amends," Harry says honestly, "Or try at least, it's part of my 6 steps."

Draco looks at him curiously, "6 steps? Like therapy?"

"Yeah," Harry admits, "I promised myself that I would do this properly this time so that I can get better and be there for Cassie, if she wants me to be."

Draco visibly swallows but he says nothing more on the subject, "Well making amends with her won't be the easiest thing in the world, just so you know."

"Trust me, I know," Harry sighs, "But I have to at least try, I can't move forward until I have come to terms with everything that has happened in the past. I suppose I should have put you on my list, if I need to make amends with anyone it's you."

"Well you were never my friend in the first place so that probably makes it easier," Draco says dryly.

"It kind of makes it harder actually," Harry says honestly, "But I sort of accidentally got a different insight into your life through my new girlfriend, she went to school with you."

Draco frowns, "Who is she?"

"Sophie Roper," Harry replies, "She's my therapist."

Draco snorts, "You're dating your therapist?"

Harry rolls his eyes, "Everyone has that reaction."

"Probably because it's the biggest cliché in the book," Draco says as the kettle reaches boiling point, "I do know Sophie though, she was always quiet in school."

Harry knows that this is because she was bullied because of her parentage but he stays quiet about that. He just nods, "Well she's good at reading people and she told me that I should cut you a bit of slack because she reckons you fell in love with Hermione in fourth year."

Draco freezes as he reaches out for the kettle. Harry sees him visibly take a breath before pouring out the coffee, "How does she know that?"

"She's a therapist," Harry replies, "She reads people for a living. But Draco, I need to apologise to you. If I had known you felt like that about Hermione I wouldn't have rubbed it in your face like it must have seemed I did."

"Nobody knew how I felt, Hermione included, for a good reason," Draco says quietly, "If a pureblood loves a muggle-born when a crazy Dark Lord is around, that muggle-born tends to get killed. Ask Sophie what happened to her Mother if you don't believe me."

"I know," Harry says quickly, "I'm just saying, I never knew until now but now that I do…I understand you a little better. I understand why you tried so hard to hold onto Hermione and why you so desperately wanted Cassie to be yours."

Draco nods stiffly, "But she isn't and we're going to have to cross that bridge when we come to it."

Harry nods too and gratefully accepts the cup of coffee that Draco has put in front of him. He finds himself thinking that this is oddly civil for them as Draco sits down across from him.

"I suppose we ought to try and keep things this civil," Draco says, as if he can hear Harry's thoughts, "For Cassie's sake, when the truth comes out she's going to need all three of us."

Harry nods and looks up at Draco, "I think that's wise and I really am sorry, for everything. I know you've been a great husband to Hermione and a great Dad to Cassie and…I want to thank you for that."

Draco gives him another stiff nod and sips his coffee silently. Before the silence can get awkward Scorpius motors into the room and begins asking incessant questions and telling Harry every little detail of his day, including a very detailed description of the chocolate cat vomit scenario.

* * *

"Harry," Hermione gasps, jumping in surprise when she sees him waiting for her outside the WWN.

"Sorry," Harry says sheepishly, "Draco said you would be finished soon so I thought I'd wait."

Hermione frowns, "You were talking to Draco?"

Harry nods, "Yeah, quite civilly."

Hermione raises an eyebrow at him and begins to walk along the street, "I'll humour you, walk with me?"

Harry falls into step with her and explains, "I'm on my last step, making my amends."

Hermione's eyes flash with realisation, "And that included with Draco?"

"I went to make amends with you but oddly enough, I kind of did make amends with Draco," Harry admits.

"You don't have to make amends with me," Hermione sighs, "I'm angry at you but I will forgive you, like I always do. You are my best friend and as much as I want to completely cut you out of my life I can't, not for my own sake or Cassie's."

"It's not about you forgiving me," Harry says, "It's about me forgiving myself for everything that I put you through, that's the only way to make sure I stop drinking for good."

Hermione surveys him for a moment, "This whole dating a therapist thing is really working out for you."

Harry laughs weakly, "Really though Hermione, you already know how sorry I am for all the pain that I put you through because of the alcohol. But I don't think I've ever apologised for not being there for Cassie, for missing so much."

"That wasn't entirely your fault," Hermione sighs, "You were not fit to be her Father when she was a baby but I kept it from you for a long time too. The blame really is shared there."

"I missed so much," Harry says quietly, "I feel like a failure."

Hermione shakes her head and comes to a stop on the bank of the Thames. She leans on the barrier and looks out at London, "You were there for her in the ways that mattered. You bought her that first broom-"

"Which she fell off of," Harry points out, "And went crying to her Daddy who patched her up. Sums it up pretty well in fact."

Hermione glances sideways at Harry as he leans against the barrier next to her, "All I'm trying to say is that you were there for a lot of things. You took her to Quidditch games, you even coached her in Little League for a while. You babysat her while Draco and I worked, in fact I remember you being the one to see her take her first steps. Draco and I were so upset that we had missed it because we had both been working."

Harry looks out at the dirty river, "I suppose…when you put it that way I was sort of a third parent to her."

Hermione nods and smiles at him, "Which was the way it was intended. I didn't want you to miss out on her life, even if I wasn't ready to tell you the truth about her."

"When do you think you will be ready to tell Cassie the truth?" Harry asks curiously.

"Draco and I have tentatively spoken about the Christmas holidays," Hermione admits, "Once she's had some time to get used to Hogwarts and the fact things are normal between Draco and I again. I still maintain my initial conditions, supervised visits only and no overnight stays."

"I'll take anything right now," Harry says honestly, "I understand that it's going to take time for you to trust me again but I'm getting my life back on track and a big part of that is Sophie."

Hermione smiles, "Good, I'm happy for you Harry, I really am."

Harry smiles back at her, "Well, I better go and tell her that I just finished my final step."

"Congratulations," Hermione says, she really does mean it.

Harry looks so proud of himself as he smiles brightly, "It's easy when you have good inspirations, like Sophie and Cassie."

She feels a brief tinge of pain that she wasn't a good enough inspiration, but Hermione doesn't let it show. She just smiles and waves goodbye to Harry. Once he has disappeared into an alley and apparated away, Hermione looks back out at the view of London and smiles to herself.

This entire experience has affirmed one thing for her, there really can be rather a lot of good in goodbye.

 **TBC :)  
**


	24. We Wish You a Merry Christmas

**Fade Into You**

 **Chapter 24 – We Wish You a Merry Christmas  
**

 _ **6 MONTHS LATER…**_

"Ross, let go of Cleopatra!"

"Shut up, I was just holding her for you."

"You don't hold a cat by its tail!" Cassie exclaims, cuddling her tabby cat tightly.

Molly tuts and hits Ross around the head, "Imbecile."

Ross glares at his cousin, "I can't believe I have to spend time with you during the school holidays, whose fault is that?"

"I'm sorry that my Dad is your Uncle," Molly says sarcastically.

Cassie rolls her eyes and shares a glance with her two new friends, "Do you see what I have to put up with?"

Lucille grins, "Do you have to spend Christmas with them?"

"No," Cassie snorts, "Thank Merlin for that, we spend Christmas with my Grandma and boxing day with my Weasley family."

"Well I'll see you on boxing day," Lucille says brightly, "My Aunt Astoria just gave birth to my cousin Georgie and she's engaged to Charlie Weasley."

"How does that earn you an invite?" Salvatore asks, raising an eyebrow at the girl as he helps her pull her suitcase off the train.

"My Aunt invited my Mum and me," Lucille replies, "And I'm spending Christmas day with my Dads."

Before anymore can be said, a voice shouts, "Cassie!"

Cassie smiles sheepishly and hugs her Mother tightly, "I missed you Mum!"

Draco smiles at his daughter and pulls her in for a hug once her Mother releases her. He murmurs into her hair, "I missed you too Cass."

"I didn't miss you," Scorpius remarks as he crosses his arms.

Cassie smirks, "Yes you did."

"Didn't," Scorpius argues.

"So did," Cassie says.

Hermione and Draco share an exasperated look. Hermione turns back to the children to try and convince them to stop arguing. Draco chuckles to himself and looks along the platform, searching it curiously for anyone that he knows. He is taken aback when he sees Harry standing on the platform but he understands when Teddy struts over to his Godfather and looks mortified to have his hair ruffled by the man.

"Draco?"

Draco pulls himself out of his daze and looks at his wife, "Sorry?"

"I just asked if you were ready to go," Hermione replies as she pulls Scorpius towards the barrier.

"Yeah," Draco says, he puts his arm around Cassie's shoulder and follows Hermione towards the barrier, "Let's go home."

* * *

"So Transfiguration is my least favourite subject," Cassie says that evening as she talks about Hogwarts endlessly, "I like Professor McGonagall and I'm good at Transfiguration but I guess it's just boring compared to Charms, that's definitely my favourite."

Hermione smiles, "I'm just glad that you made friends sweetheart. What are they doing over the holidays?"

"Sal is going to the south of France with his parents," Cassie replies, "And I'll see Lucy at the Weasley boxing day party! She's going because her Aunt just had Charlie's baby."

"Of course," Draco realises, "I forgot that Astoria was dating Charlie Weasley."

"Engaged to him," Hermione corrects, "She just had a little girl, Georgina I think they called her."

"Georgie for short," Cassie says with a nod, "So she's spending Boxing day with her Mum and Christmas day with her Dads."

Hermione frowns, "Dads? She has more than one?"

"Uh-huh," Cassie says, she swallows her mouthful of food, "Her Mum and Dad broke up when she was little and then her Dad got a boyfriend so she always had a Mum and two Dads when she was little."

Hermione and Draco share a surprised look.

"Who is her other Dad?" Draco asks, because he's nosy and he can't _not_ ask.

"He's called Seamus," Cassie shrugs, "I think he's Irish."

Hermione chokes on her drink and Draco grins broadly as he hits her on the back. Cassie has no idea of the carnage that she has caused with her comment. Hermione looks at Draco in disbelief and he can't quite help himself from chuckling under his breath.

"I always knew there was something funny going on between those two," Draco whispers to Hermione.

Hermione is still red in the face as she says, "Obviously more than just _something_ , how did I not notice that?"

"Because you spent your entire time at school being secretly in love with me?" Draco asks with a smirk.

Hermione fixes him with an amused look, "Keep telling yourself that love."

Cassie rolls her eyes, "Ugh stop being so _cute_ and listen to me talk about school! Don't you want to hear about how much I hate Slughorn? Cause I really do despise him, I swear."

Draco smiles slightly and Hermione nods, "Alright then, tell us about how much you hate Slughorn," she concedes.

This is all so lovely and domestic, but it isn't to last. Draco and Hermione have decided to tell Cassie the truth about her parentage tonight once Scorpius has gone to bed. As much as Draco is trying not to think about it, it is weighing on his mind as they try to spend some quality time together.

They let Cassie talk about Hogwarts as much as she wants as they settle down in the library. Hermione lies in Draco's lap as they both read an old muggle book that is one of their favourites. Cassie is lying on the rug doing some homework and Scorpius is quite happily playing with his enchanted miniature Quidditch set.

The time passes slowly and eventually it is time for Scorpius to head to bed. Hermione takes him upstairs, reads him a bedtime story and kisses him goodnight. When she returns to the library she shuts the door and whispers a silencing charm.

Cassie realises this and frowns, "What's wrong Mum?"

"Your Dad and I have to talk to you," Hermione says softly, "About something very important."

Cassie face falls, "You aren't splitting up again, are you?"

"No," Draco replies quickly, "Definitely not."

Cassie frowns, "Then what's wrong?"

Hermione sits down on the floor with her daughter and begins to explain, "Do you remember when I explained to you about Harry and I? About how we used to be together?"

"Before you met Dad," Cassie nods.

"Yes," Hermione says, "Well, it's a little more complicated than that. Harry was a very different person when we were together. He was an alcoholic, he got angry and he lost control of his magic."

"Like that time he put you in hospital," Cassie says quietly.

Hermione swallows the lump that is rising in her throat and nods, "Like that time, yes."

Draco sees her discomfort and sits down next to her on the floor. He takes her hand and gives her an encouraging smile.

Cassie watches this exchange cautiously and looks at her Mother. Hermione continues, "Harry went into the rehabilitation centre 5 times and every time he never got better. The last time that he was there, I was working and I met your Dad in Inverness. We fell in love but I was still with Harry."

"But you chose Dad," Cassie says.

"I did," Hermione agrees, "But the thing is Cassie, when you were born I wasn't sure if your Dad was your Dad so we did a paternity test at St. Mungo's."

Cassie pales, "Mum…"

Hermione spits it out before she can stop herself, "And biologically he isn't. Your Uncle Harry is your biological Father."

Cassie's eyes widen, all the colour has drained from her face. She stares at them in disbelief, "What?"

"We didn't tell you because we were looking out for you," Draco jumps in, "Your Uncle Harry can be dangerous when he gets a shock or loses his temper, like you saw when he hurt your Mum. We decided that you would be much happier growing up away from him."

Cassie's eyes swim with tears, "So you aren't my Dad?"

"Not by blood," Draco says, reaching out and cupping her face, "But Cassie, just because Harry is your biological Father, that doesn't stop me from being your Dad."

Cassie swallows and turns her gaze to her Mother, "How could you keep this from me?"

"We were waiting until you were old enough to understand," Hermione says weakly, "The last thing that we wanted to do was tell you when you were too young and have it confuse you."

Cassie sighs heavily and looks down at the floor, "Does this mean I have to spend time with him now, my real Dad?"

"Not if you don't want to," Hermione assures her, "As far as your Dad and I are concerned, this doesn't change anything. It doesn't matter whose DNA you are made up of, you are _our_ Cassie. You're a Slytherin, just like your Dad."

"Does Harry know about me?" Cassie asks with a frown.

Hermione nods, "That was why he lost his temper when I ended up in hospital. He was angry that I had kept the truth from him."

Cassie's frown deepens, "I don't know if I want him to be a Father to me or not though Mum. He was always there for me when I was little but he nearly killed you and I'm a bit scared of him."

"I understand that," Hermione promises Cassie, "And if you decide you don't want him to be a part of your life, that is fine. But if you do change your mind and want him to be a part of your life, that's fine too."

"Even with Dad?" Cassie asks, looking up at Draco.

"All I want is for you to be happy," Draco tells her, "If that means spending time with your real Dad then that's fine. Harry and I have made our amends and put the past to rest, for your sake."

"Can I at least think about this before I have to decide?"

"You can take as much time as you want," Hermione replies, "But you are at Hogwarts now and we thought you were old enough to know the truth."

Cassie nods.

"Are you alright?" Hermione asks gently.

"Fine," Cassie replies shortly, "Just surprised."

Hermione nods, "And a little bit angry, I bet."

"Maybe a little," Cassie says.

"Which we understand," Draco promises, "But can we still try and have a wonderful family Christmas this year?"

Cassie manages a weak smile and a nod, "Yeah, I think we can."

* * *

 _Knock. Knock._

Hermione pulls the door open and smiles weakly at Harry, "Thanks for coming."

"Your message seemed urgent," Harry replies as he steps into the house, "What's wrong?"

"We told Cassie last night," Hermione replies, "And we explained to Scorpius this morning."

"How did that go?" Harry asks with a frown.

"Telling Cassie was fine, she understands but was understandably confused and upset," Hermione sighs, "But Scorpius…he isn't quite old enough to understand. We had to assure him that Cassie is still his 'real' sister not a 'fake' one."

Harry gives her a sympathetic look, "He'll understand in a few years."

Hermione nods, "Hopefully. Cassie is fine, she's acting normal, if a little withdrawn. I just thought it might help you both to have a conversation about what's going on."

"Right," Harry says awkwardly, "Where is she?"

"In the library," Hermione replies, biting down on her lip, "And be gentle with her, this is a huge bombshell."

"I know," Harry says, a hint of bitterness slipping into his voice, "I remember how it felt when you told me."

Hermione looks momentarily guilty, "Harry-"

"I know, I'm sorry," Harry sighs, "I'll talk to her and hopefully I won't come out of that room with her hating me."

"I doubt that," Hermione admits as Harry jogs up the stairs and knocks on the door of the library.

"Come in!" Cassie calls.

Harry feels incredibly nervous as he slips into the room and surveys Cassie. She is sitting cross legged on an armchair with a book balanced in her lap. He almost smiles as he realises, not for the first time, that she is her mother's daughter through and through.

"Apparently we need to talk," Cassie says, closing her book, "About the fact you're my real Dad."

Harry nods seriously, "By blood I am your Father, but I don't want you to think for one second that I want to replace your Dad. Draco loves you so much and he has done since you were a baby, I don't want to take that away from either of you."

"You can't," Cassie says wisely, "He _is_ my Dad. He did all of the important Dad things when I was a kid and before his stupid campaign he was always the person I wanted to be when I was older. Everyone thinks that I'm a lot like my Mum but I'm more of a Dad's girl really."

Harry swallows his pain, "I know, he raised you and he was there for all of the special moments. I wasn't, I was just your Uncle who brought you cool presents and took you out on the odd day out. Nothing has to change now that everyone knows the truth, you know that right?"

Cassie nods, "You were kind of always like a parent figure to me when I was little. I remember you babysitting and coaching at Little League. I liked our days out together then but that was before you hurt my Mum."

"That was an accident," Harry says softly, "I couldn't control it and I am so angry at myself because of it."

"But what if it happens again?" Cassie asks.

"It won't," Harry promises her, "I've been going to therapy and getting lots of help from my new…friend, Sophie."

Cassie smiles slightly, "She's your girlfriend, isn't she?"

Harry rolls his eyes, "How did you do that?"

"You hesitated," Cassie says matter of factly, "On the word friend."

Harry smiles, "Very clever of you."

Cassie nods again, "So…how do you want to do this?"

Harry barks out a laugh, "How do I want to do this? That's a very mature take on things Cassie, I just want you to be happy."

"That's what Dad said too," Cassie says with a roll of her eyes.

"That's because the people who love you just want happiness for you," Harry says honestly, "I really meant what I said, nothing has to change. Your Dad will always be your Dad, I just want to be a part of your life."

"You always have been," Cassie points out.

"Exactly," Harry says, "So nothing changes, does it?"

"I suppose not," Cassie says thoughtfully, "Can I meet your new girlfriend though?"

Harry laughs, "Yeah, you'll meet her on boxing day."

"You're bringing her to Weasley boxing day?" Cassie asks in surprise.

Harry nods, "It's _that_ serious," he jokes.

Cassie just smiles, "I'm glad for you Uncle Harry."

"Are we sticking with Uncle Harry then?" Harry asks as he pushes himself to his feet.

Cassie nods, "I think so because I can't call you Dad. Dad is my Dad; do you know what I mean?"

"Of course I do," Harry replies with a smile, "I'll see you on Christmas day to deliver your presents, okay?"

Cassie nods, "Okay, bye Uncle Harry."

His smile is real as he looks down at her. It feels so good to have everything out in the open and airing, there are no more secrets anymore. Somehow, it feels like a weight has been lifted from his chest, "Bye Cass."

* * *

Once Harry reaches the corridor, he sees Draco in the kitchen and pops his head in, "Is Hermione around?"

"No she had to nip out with Scorpius," Draco replies, "She said it was a crisis. I don't think you can call being out of cocoa a crisis but each to their own."

Harry chuckles, "I just spoke to Cassie, as Hermione suggested. She's freakishly calm about all of this."

"Highly logical and perceptive that way," Draco says, "Just like her Mother. Do you want a cup of coffee?"

"Sure," Harry replies, sitting himself down at the island, "Do you really think she's okay with this? Or is it just a front?"

"I think what you see is what you get with Cass," Draco replies, pottering around with the kettle, "She's confused, angry and a little upset but that's understandable."

Harry nods thoughtfully, "She loves you a lot, you know. I made sure it was clear that I wasn't going to try and replace you and she basically told me that I couldn't if I tried."

Draco smiles to himself as he puts the kettle onto boil, "I might not be her Father by blood but I have always felt like it. The thing is…it sounds ridiculous but being a Father is in the little things. I loved Cassie from the moment I held her, it didn't matter that she wasn't mine because I knew I could do a good job of raising her."

Harry glances out of the window, "What was it like? The night she was born?"

Draco follows Harry's gaze towards the window. He takes in the setting sun and replies, "Cassie was born at sunset. I held her in my arms that night and I felt like my life was truly beginning. When Hermione and I got married, I never thought anything could make me happier but looking down at this perfect, delicate little angel in my arms…that topped anything I had ever experienced. Even if it wasn't biological, I became a Father that night."

Harry watches Draco with interest as the blonde man continues, "I loved her more with every little moment and it was crazy how proud I was of the tiny things that she did. She would sit up on her own for the first time and it would delight me. The first time she pushed herself to her feet and walked towards me my heart just swelled with pride and…I'll be honest with you Harry, I cried like a baby the first time she called me Dad."

"Now I understand why it was so hard for you when she had that phase of calling you Draco," Harry says quietly, "Merlin Draco, I have so much to thank you for that I don't even know where to begin. How can I thank you enough for raising my daughter? You did so knowing that she was another man's child and I have so much respect to anyone who can do that."

Draco shakes his head, "You don't have to thank me for raising her. I didn't do it out of obligation to Hermione or because I felt like it was my duty. I did it because I love her. Cassie, Scorpius and Hermione mean more to me than anything else in this world."

Harry smiles sadly, "I can see that now."

Draco suddenly feels slightly embarrassed. He clears his throat and puts a cup of coffee in front of Harry. They sit and sip their coffee in an oddly content silence. Neither of them were aware of Cassie listening at the door.

As only a Slytherin can do, Cassie slips away upstairs to her bedroom where she wipes away her stray tears. Like any child with two loving parents, she has always known how much her Dad loves her but she has never realised quite how much until now and it has taken her by surprise.

She shuts herself into her bedroom and pulls out a dusty box underneath her bed which she keeps mementos and photographs in. More than ever tonight, she wants to relieve some of the memories that the conversation she has just heard has sparked.

The photographs are all wizarding. The earliest is a photograph of her in her Mother's arms, her Dads head pops into the photo every so often from where he is keeping a close watch by her bed. Cassie smiles and flips to the next photograph, its late summer and her Dad has fallen asleep in the deck chair outside. She is lying on his chest, both of them fast asleep, Cassie has always assumed that her Mum took the photograph since she is not in it.

There is also a photograph of Cassie with her parents when she was about 3 years old. She is gripping a cuddly hippogriff toy tightly as her parents flank her, all three of them smiling radiantly. Cassie also notices that her Mum is pregnant with Scorpius in the photo.

After that the photographs are mostly family pictures. They feature Scorpius as a baby with Cassie holding her little brother proudly. There are snowball fights and family Christmas pictures mixed in there too. In every photograph they all look happy and her Dad seems to glow with pride as he looks at his two children.

Cassie smiles to herself as she begins to realise that her Dad is telling the truth. Blood really doesn't matter to him, as far as he is concerned she is his daughter and she always will be. For the moment, that is enough.

* * *

 _Knock. Knock._

"Come in," Cassie calls as she shoves her memento box back under her bed.

The door is pushed open and Draco peers through, "Do you mind if I have a quick chat with you?"

Cassie shakes her head, "No, where's Scorp?"

"Helping Mum make cocoa downstairs," Draco replies with a smile, "I didn't need to ask, I assumed you would want one."

Cassie smiles, "I would, thanks."

Draco shuts the door behind him and sits down on the edge of her bed, "We haven't had a chance to talk, just the two of us…not since all of this came out."

Cassie nods, she considers coming clean about the fact that she overheard him talking to Harry. She bites her lip, "I wanted to tell you that I love you Dad, I don't think I'll ever call Uncle Harry that because he's just my Uncle Harry. But you're my Dad and you always will be, even if you aren't really."

Draco smiles a little tearfully at her, "That means a lot to me Cassie," he says honestly.

Cassie bites her lip a little harder, "I think I'm going to be okay with all of this when I can get my head around it but Dad…is there a part of you that loves Scorpius more than me because he's actually yours?"

"You're both mine," Draco assures her, "I don't think of you as any less of a child of mine than Scorpius, I promise. Like any good parent, I love you equally and I don't have favourites."

Cassie smiles slightly, "I suppose in a way it kind of makes you a better Dad…weirdly."

"How is that?" Draco asks.

Cassie shrugs, "Other Dads love their kids because they have to, you know? But you knew I wasn't yours and you chose to love me, that makes you a better Dad I think."

Draco smiles and pushes her hair out of her face, "Cassie, loving you was not difficult. The moment I held you in my arms my entire life changed, I became a Father the night you were born and for the first time in my life I felt proud of something good and pure. I promised myself that I would raise you properly, not like the way my Dad rose me and that's a promise I think I've kept."

"You did," Cassie says, grabbing his hand and squeezing it, "You only ever want me to be happy, Dad. I suppose I'll hate how protective you are when I get a boyfriend but-"

"But that's not happening anytime soon," Draco cuts in seriously.

Cassie giggles, "No, I'm only 11!"

"Good," Draco says, breathing a sigh of relief.

Cassie smiles fondly at him and spontaneously moves to hug him. Draco rests his head on top of hers as she whispers, "You're the best Dad ever and I really love you."

Draco smiles and breathes a sigh of relief, "I love you too."

* * *

Christmas Day is much like any other in their house that year, much to Draco and Hermione's relief. They all sleepily come together in the kitchen for breakfast and then head to the library to open their presents.

Cassie and Scorpius have been spoiled this year because Draco and Hermione feel guilty about how difficult they made it on their children. They are very pleased with their presents, Hermione particularly loves the emerald necklace Draco has bought her, although she had joked that he was constantly trying to convert her to Slytherin.

After the mess of wrapping paper has been cleared away, everyone goes their separate ways. Cassie is already dressed so she curls up with one of the books she has just unwrapped. Scorpius motors up the stairs, dresses as quickly as possible and then goes right back to his new broomstick. Draco is whistling and humming as he begins to prepare Christmas dinner in the kitchen and Hermione is just finishing getting ready when there is a shout of, "Uncle Harry is here!" from downstairs.

She feels a little nervous as she puts down her hairbrush and walks downstairs. Hermione knows that Harry and Cassie have agreed that nothing will change but she isn't sure if that really will be the case. She realises that quite a lot has changed when she sees the domestic nature of the scene in the living room, "Coffee or eggnog Harry?" Draco is asking politely.

"Uh, it will have to be the coffee," Harry says with a pointed look.

"It's non-alcoholic eggnog," Draco says, raising an eyebrow at the man, "Do you think I'm a complete idiot?"

"Well-"

"Don't answer that," Hermione says as she leans in the doorway, "And he'll have a coffee Draco, Harry hates eggnog."

Draco smiles and nods, leaving the living room to head back into the kitchen.

Harry smiles at Hermione, "Merry Christmas."

"And to you," Hermione replies, "Where's Sophie?"

"At her Aunts, I'm joining her there when I leave," Harry replies.

"Are you staying long?" Cassie asks.

"Just dropping these off," Harry says, putting down a large bag, "And I want to see you two open them, obviously."

"Can we open them Mum?" Scorpius asks eagerly.

"On you go," Hermione says fondly.

She and Harry silently watch the kids rip into their presents eagerly. As usual, Harry has spoiled them handsomely. They have both received a Weasley sweater (curtesy of Molly and hand-delivered by Harry, just like every other year). Scorpius has a brand new Puddlemere United kit and Cassie has a signed edition of the latest version of _Hogwarts: A History_. They each have a pile of sweets too.

Both of the kids thank Harry with hugs and as Hermione watches on, she realises that nothing has changed between Harry and Cassie.

"How did you know I'd like this Uncle Harry?" Cassie asks as she thumbs through the book.

"Because you're a lot like your Mum," Harry replies, "And it was always her favourite book. She loved telling me and Uncle Ron that you can't apparate within the grounds of Hogwarts."

"Except if you have the Headmasters or Mistresses magic ring," Cassie says matter of factly, "That's the only way you can."

Harry thinks back and remembers Dumbledore apparating from Hogwarts on occasion, "Ah, well that makes sense I suppose."

Cassie nods, "Thanks for the book Uncle Harry, it's great."

"You're welcome Cass," Harry replies, "I'll go grab a quick coffee with your Mum and Dad then I need to head off but I'll see you two tomorrow."

"Yeah, see you," Scorpius says, waving goodbye.

Cassie doesn't look up from her new book as she says, "Yeah, bye Uncle Harry."

Harry smiles to himself as he and Hermione join Draco in the kitchen, just in time to receive a steaming cup of coffee each.

"Thanks," Harry says gratefully, "I've not had time for one yet, I feel like Santa Claus."

Hermione chuckles, "Have you already done the Weasley rounds?"

Harry nods and sips his coffee, "Yep, followed by nipping round to Andromeda's to see Teddy. I'm actually heading back there for supper tonight, so that Sophie can meet Ted."

"Wow," Hermione says, "It must be serious."

Harry smiles, "It is…I'm going to propose tomorrow, at the Burrow."

Hermione's eyes widen, "Already?"

Draco scoffs and looks at his wife over the top of his coffee cup, "Do you really think we can judge him for proposing after 6 months? We had barely been dating for 3 when we got married."

"And I was pregnant," Hermione admits sheepishly, "So that would be slightly hypocritical of me. Wait, is Sophie pregnant?"

Harry laughs, "No, but we aren't exactly spring chickens so we know that there's no point in waiting around. We both want kids and time is ticking."

"You aren't that old, Harry," Hermione says softly.

"I'm old enough," Harry assures her, "Nobody knows yet, apart from you two and Ron. He loves Sophie, he thinks she's perfect for me."

"From what I've seen of her, I would agree," Hermione admits.

Even Draco nods, "I knew Sophie in school and I can see why you two would work together."

Harry nods thoughtfully and sips his coffee some more.

"Well, good luck with it," Hermione says with a smile.

"Thanks," Harry says, beaming at them, "I just hope she says yes now."

Hermione's smile isn't sad or full of regret, it is fond and caring, "I'm sure she will," she assures him.

* * *

"Grandma is here!" Narcissa calls as she makes her grand entrance.

Hermione bites her lip to hide her smile and glances at Draco. He rolls his eyes and says with fond exasperation, "Looking exquisite as always, Mother."

Narcissa is wearing fine silk dress robes and a fur cloak that Hermione suspects is real. After several arguments over her Mother-in-laws choice of attire, Hermione stopped asking. She flips her greying blonde hair out of her eyes and reaches out to grab Draco's face.

He patiently lets her kiss him on both cheeks, "Merry Christmas my love."

Draco smiles at her, "Merry Christmas Mother."

Once she has released Draco she moves onto Hermione, kissing both of her cheeks and saying, "Merry Christmas my dear."

Hermione hugs her back, "Merry Christmas Narcissa."

"Where are my darling grandchildren?" Narcissa asks, hanging her cloak up in the hall.

"In the dining room," Hermione replies.

Draco glances at the dining room door to make sure that it is still shut, "But before we head in that direction we ought to let you know that we told Cassie the truth a few nights ago."

Narcissa's eyes widen, "How is she?"

"She seems fine," Hermione replies honestly, "She was taken aback at first but no permanent damage seems to have been done."

"Does she want him to be a part of her life?" Narcissa asks distastefully.

Hermione shakes her head, "Not particularly, as far as she is concerned nothing has to change. She still calls Draco Dad and him Uncle Harry, this doesn't seem to change anything for her."

"Well she is a very wise thing," Narcissa says, "Like you my dear."

Hermione smiles slightly, "If I was so wise I would never have ended up in the situation that I did, would I have?"

"Even the best of us make mistakes," Narcissa says, "I am glad that Cassiopeia hasn't been hurt badly by the truth coming out. I may still have a little conversation with her about it after dinner, just to assure myself."

"Of course," Draco says, "She is being very open about the whole thing."

"Have you considered the press?" Narcissa asks, "Now that Cassie knows she will tell her friends and it will become part of the Hogwarts rumour mill. Once that happens, the press will start to speculate."

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it Mother," Draco says as he hooks his arm through hers and leads her into the dining room, "But today it is Christmas."

Narcissa concedes immediately as her grandchildren descend on her. Scorpius goes for a big hug, as usual. Cassie smiles brightly at her Grandmother and hugs her, asking, "Wine or sherry Grandma?"

"Oh sherry my darling," Narcissa replies, "On Christmas day, it must be sherry."

Cassie laughs, "Sorry, I forgot."

Hermione smiles and takes her seat at the table. She watches her family quietly but contently. They all sit down and make small talk as they wait for Draco to serve their food. Platters of food appear on the table, all covered with warming charms.

They tuck into his delicious homemade soup first and then compliment him on the beautifully cooked goose that he has prepared for the main course. They pull their crackers after that and all end up wearing silly hats, even Narcissa.

After the main course they are very full so they decide to let their food go down a little before they eat their Christmas pudding. In this time Narcissa grabs a quiet moment with Cassie in the corner of the living room.

"Sweetheart, your parents told me that they told you about your Father," Narcissa says gently.

Cassie nods, "I didn't know that you knew about Uncle Harry being my real Dad."

"I knew from the very beginning," Narcissa tells her granddaughter, "But your Father was very brave and noble about it, he told me that he loved your Mother and he already loved you, regardless of genetics. I must confess, from the moment that I held you, I understood what he meant."

Cassie smiles, "He's a great Dad and I don't think Uncle Harry would have been a great one, not after what he did to my Mum. I'm fine with him being my Uncle Harry and I still see him all the time because he always has coffee with Dad when he comes over these days."

Narcissa raises an eyebrow at her, "Really?"

"Uh-huh," Cassie says, "I don't know if they're friends but they don't hate each other anymore so that's good."

"Indeed," Narcissa says thoughtfully, "You seem very calm about the whole thing."

Cassie shrugs, "Nothing really changes Grandma. I still love my Dad and my Mum still loves my Dad."

"That is very mature of you," Narcissa says wisely, "But can I still share a little nugget of knowledge and wisdom with you?"

Cassie smiles at her Grandmother and nods, "I like your little nuggets of wisdom."

"Good," Narcissa smiles, "I just want you to know that a Father is not always the man who makes the child, but sometimes the man who extends his hands and his time to help raise the child. A Father is the man who has it within his heart to love the child through anything, good, bad and indifferent. Blood does not make you a Father, being a Father comes from the heart."

Cassie stares at Narcissa with wide, slightly watery eyes, "That was beautiful."

"That was the truth my darling," Narcissa says, wiping away a stray tear on Cassie's cheek, "Your Father did not have a good Father in his life. Your grandfather was always angry and he took that out on your Father as a child. He wanted you to have a Father to love and look up to, something that he never had."

"He did a good job then," Cassie says softly, "I'm in Slytherin like him and I'm really proud that I am. I think he's the best, when I was little I wanted to be just like him."

"I am glad," Narcissa says, "But your Mother is quite spectacular too."

"I know," Cassie smiles, "I love them both, equally."

"As you should," Narcissa says with a warm smile.

A shout from the kitchen across the hall pulls them away from the conversation. Hermione frowns and shouts, "Everything okay?"

"Dad set the curtains on fire when he was lighting the pudding!" Scorpius shouts as he arrives in the doorway covered in soot and giggling uncontrollably.

"Draco!" Hermione calls with a mixture of exasperation and amusement.

He appears behind Scorpius holding a rather burnt Christmas pudding and with his face covered in soot, "Dessert ala the volcano of Vesuvius?" he jokes.

Hermione finds herself giggling along with Cassie and Scorpius while Narcissa shakes her head and tries to hide her amused smile. A grin spreads across Hermione's face and Draco gives her a sheepish grin back that warms her heart.

She really does love her family, Narcissa included.

* * *

"Sophie really does seem to fit in," Hermione murmurs to Draco the following day as they eat a huge meal in the magically extended kitchen of the Burrow.

The boxing day meal/party with the Weasley's is always a fun, if hectic and loud, day.

Draco nods, "She can talk about muggle objects with Arthur and Quidditch with the Weasley men, she definitely fits in."

"I'm glad, for Harry's sake," Hermione admits, "You know how things were funny for a while when I married you, I worried…with Sophie being in Slytherin."

"Sophie isn't a Death Eater nor did she try to kill Albus Dumbledore, nor did she fight on the wrong side in the war," Draco reminds Hermione.

She shoots him an irritated look, "I know, I was just trying to make a comparison."

"I know you were," Draco says, taking her hand under the table, "I'm just saying, the Weasley's were justifiably pissed off when you told them you were pregnant and then when you married me. Things are different with Sophie, she's just a nice girl who happened to be in Slytherin."

"I suppose," Hermione concedes.

They have just finished their lunch and the table has been magically clearing itself. Gradually the occupants have been leaving the kitchen for the garden or various other rooms in the house.

Hermione notices when she glances along the table that Sophie is gone. She had been speaking to Harry but he is now engaged in an intensive conversation with Arthur about the practical uses of fibreglass.

"Where's Cass?" Hermione asks, she notices that the kids table is empty too.

"I think she probably went upstairs with the other girls," Draco replies, "They all disappeared somewhere in a hurry."

"Hmm," Hermione hums as she gets to her feet, "Would you like a hand with the washing, Molly?"

"Oh of course not dear," Molly replies, "I'll enchant it to do itself once it's all piled up by the sink."

"Then you must relax and have a sherry," Hermione says, "You have worked far too hard in the kitchen today."

"Oh you know how it is at Christmas," Molly says offhandedly.

Draco scoffs, "Hermione hasn't done a shred of cooking in her life Molly. As we don't have a house elf, that duty falls to me."

"I cook," Hermione objects.

Draco raises an eyebrow at her, "You take things out of the freezer and put them in the oven. Have you ever touched raw meat or cut up any vegetables?"

Molly chuckles as Hermione glares at him. She senses that they will start to bicker and turns back to the sink with an amused smile.

Before Hermione can actually start on Draco though, there is a loud bang in the living room. They all rush through (with the exception of Molly who just rolls her eyes). The sight is quite an amusing one to behold, the room is crowded and some of the party have spilled out of the patio doors into the garden.

Everyone who was caught up in the prank is currently sporting green and red hair, in the spirit of Christmas. Hermione searches the room for the culprit, expecting it to be George. She grins when she sees three figures chuckling behind the Christmas tree. George is behind the prank, but he has two helpers in the form of Sophie and Cassie.

"Can you see why she was sorted into Slytherin yet?" Draco asks Hermione in a whisper.

Hermione chuckles and replies, "I always knew why she was in Slytherin. I think her and Sophie are going to become fast friends when Harry marries her though."

"Assuming Sophie says yes," Draco adds.

"She will," Hermione says confidently

* * *

The prank is harmless and is soon forgotten about. It's December, it's snowing and it's freezing but the house is cramped so most people have flocked outside. There are warming charms on everything and it is actually quite a pleasant atmosphere, the eggnog Molly has supplied them with is keeping them all warm.

The kids have all convened together and are having a massive snowball fight away from the adults. Victoire and Teddy aren't very involved, they're too busy snogging behind the chicken coup.

The other kids seem to have formed two teams, Cassie, Ross and Lucille have joined together against the opposing team which is headed by Dominique, Louis and Molly. The younger children have rallied behind their elders with 8-year-old Lucy sticking by her sister's side and Scorpius joining Cassie's team. Ross's younger siblings have joined his team, the twins Fabian and Gideon are 8 years old and Ron and Alicia's only girl, Adelaide, has stuck with her brothers, she is only 5 years old. Frank and Alice, who are 8 and 6 respectively, have also joined the team due to their close friendship with Cassie and Scorpius.

On the opposing team, other than Lucy, are Ginny and Michael's two daughters; Chloe is 6 and Amy is 4. They are also joined by George and Angelina's two kids, Fred is 10 and Roxanne is 7.

Hermione and Draco have been quite happily watching their antics until they are interrupted by a distraction in the form of Daphne Greengrass.

"Drakey poo!"

Draco jumps and turns around. Daphne grins at him and he laughs, "Daphne!"

"Hey Draco," Daphne says with a grin, "Miss me?"

Draco returns her smile, "It has been _years_. Where have you been?"

"I have been busy being a single Mother to that wretch I call my daughter," Daphne jokes, "Totally out of pureblood circles of course, I mean I _bred_ with a Gryffindor war hero, who _does_ that?"

"Imagine if you had actually married one," Draco says sarcastically, shooting a sideways glance at Hermione.

"Shock horror!" Daphne cries.

Hermione smiles and looks from Draco to Daphne, "You two know each other then?"

"Knew each other," Daphne says, perching on the table, "We haven't spoken since…2001?"

"About that," Draco agrees, "I didn't even know your daughter had two Dads, I knew you and Dean had split up but I never realised-"

"That he was totally in love with his best friend?" Daphne finishes, "No, funny that. I didn't realise either."

Hermione laughs, "If it makes you feel any better, I didn't realise and I shared a common room with them for years."

Daphne rolls her eyes, "Tell me about it. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to try and tell your daughter that she has two Dads? I mean what kind of three-year-old understands that some Daddy's like fucking other Daddy's?"

Draco snorts, "Eloquent as always Daphne."

Daphne smirks, "I haven't changed one smidge Drakey. You on the other, you have been busy. What have you done this year? Oh yes! Tried to be Minister, fucked it up with Pansy of _all_ people, ugh! Divorced your wife, got back together with your wife."

Draco rolls his eye, "At least I seriously attempted to do something decent with my career. As I see it your career consists of you being naked on the cover of QWC weekly."

"Semi-naked," Daphne corrects, "And these babies are worth a lot," she adds, pointing downwards.

Hermione doesn't know whether to laugh or gasp in surprise at the woman's bluntness. Before she can say anything Daphne adds, "And to make matters worse, now you're in charge of pruning the minds of our children."

Hermione sniggers, "He isn't in charge, he just heads the board of governors."

"And it isn't my full time job," Draco objects, "I still work in the Ministers office."

"I'm surprised he gave you a job after you tried to challenge him," Daphne says.

"He's a generous man," Draco says.

A loud laugh comes from behind them, "Percy? He may be Minister for Magic but he's also my brother and personally I think he's a huge prat."

Astoria rolls her eyes and glances down at the baby in her arms, "Would you learn to control that laugh of yours? You'll wake Georgie."

"Oh she'll live," Daphne says with a wave of her hand, "She sleeps too much, what a lazy little baby."

"It's what babies do, Daph," Astoria says, rubbing her eyes with her free hand.

"Well Lucille barely slept, she was awake all the time. It was a nightmare, honestly I don't know how I managed," Daphne says, flicking her hair out of her face, "As a single Mother with an ex going through a sexual identity crisis with his gay Irish best friend, Merlin it was so hard, I was practically destitute!"

Draco rolls his eyes, "You are such a drama queen."

Astoria nods and gives Draco a knowing look while Daphne looks away. Hermione grins at the interplay and thankfully, a distraction comes in the form of Hannah and Neville before Daphne can go off on another rant.

"Where are my children?" Neville asks, looking around the garden in amusement.

Hermione cranes her neck, "Your son has just been turned into the abominable snowman by Dominique and your daughter is making snow angels with my son," she replies.

Hannah laughs, "They're a nightmare when they get together, what will they do if they actually get together when they go to school?"

"Stop trying to set our kids up before they even know what love is," Neville says offhandedly, "It's just because you want Hermione to be related to you."

"It would be cool," Hannah agrees.

"You think I want that prat to be related to me?" Neville asks, gesturing towards Draco.

Draco shakes his head, "I am actually quite offended by that Neville, I thought we were friends."

Neville smiles at him, "We are friends Draco, if we weren't friends I wouldn't have known you hate the cold and brought you a top up of eggnog."

"Oh, thanks," Draco says as he gratefully accepts the mug.

Daphne shakes her head and looks at Hermione, "The most unlikely bromance ever."

"What in the name of Merlin, is a bromance?" Draco asks.

"It's like a romance," Hermione replies, "But with a guy, like bro, but romance."

"Or in the case of my ex, actually romance with his bro," Daphne says.

"Not that you're still bitter about it," Astoria calls.

Daphne rolls her eyes, "Shut up Tori."

Hermione chuckles and looks out over the garden. She catches sight of Harry out of the corner of her eye and she watches with interest. He is sitting on a bench in the orchard with Sophie and they seem to be having a very serious conversation.

"He looks like he's going to propose," Neville jokes.

"Yeah," Hermione says thoughtfully," He told us last night."

"What?" Neville asks with mock irritation, "He told you and Draco but he didn't tell _me_? His _best_ friend!"

"Well he's got a serious girlfriend now Neville," Draco says, patting his friend on the back, "He's going to forget about his friends and leave them all by the wayside so he can spend more time with her."

"Hell no, if he does that I'll have to duel him."

Hermione snorts, "No way, we don't need a local forest levelled because you and Harry had a lover's tiff."

Draco rolls his eyes and catches Daphne's eye, "Gryffindors."

"I know right?" Daphne says, "What did we all go and get involved with Gryffindors for anyway? Mine fucked his best friend, yours…well Hermione seems pretty okay actually but look at Astoria's Gryffindor, being involved with dragon bestiality."

"He isn't involved with bestiality!" Astoria says irritably, "And at least he isn't obsessed with being topless all of the time, although I do quite enjoy it when he is."

Charlie winks at her and the others laugh. By the time they turn back to Harry and Sophie, things have gotten a lot more interesting. Harry is on one knee in the snow and Sophie is grinning and nodding. Hermione smiles brightly at Draco, "She said yes! I knew she would!"

"They're coming over, act surprised," Hannah says, nudging Neville in the side to stop him from huffing.

"Guys," Harry says loudly, gathering all of the Weasley's together. The kids even stop their snowball fight, "I have some great news to share with you all!"

Hermione beams at him as he announces, "I just asked Soph to marry me and she said yes!"

He is descended upon by Weasley's who all hug him and say congratulations. Everyone wants to see Sophie's ring and wish them both the best but Hermione hangs back until everyone has finished with him.

She is about to speak to him when Cassie gets there first. She hugs Harry and says, "I'm really glad for you Uncle Harry, I think Sophie is great!"

"So do I Cass," Harry says with a goofy smile. He looks over to Sophie who is being cried on by Molly and it is clear that he really loves the woman.

Hermione steps over and smiles at Cass, "Mind if I have a few words with Uncle Harry alone, sweetheart?"

"Nah," Cassie replies, "I've got to get back to the snowball fight anyway, I'm going to kick Dom's butt."

"On you go then," Harry chuckles.

Cassie smiles and darts over the snow back to the snowball fight. Hermione averts her gaze from her daughter and smiles up at Harry, "I'm so happy for you."

"That means a lot from you," Harry says, the smile still plastered on his face, "But I'm happy too, happy that we have both finally moved on. We're so much better for it, Cassie is too."

"Yeah, she is," Hermione agrees, giving Harry a tight hug and a kiss on the cheek, "Sophie is wonderful and I know you two are going to be great together. I really am convinced your better and if you want, Cassie is yours for overnight visits or days out, we'll clear all of the paperwork."

"That's an amazing Christmas present," Harry admits, "As good as Sophie saying yes."

Hermione smiles a little tearfully at him, "I'm really proud of you Harry, congratulations, I really mean it."

Harry is still beaming as he looks at her, "Thanks Hermione and Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas Harry," Hermione replies softly.

 **THE END :) ... not really, there's an epilogue!  
**


	25. Epilogue

**Fade Into You**

 **Chapter 25 – Epilogue**

 _ **6 ½ Years Later…**_

The Black Lake is shimmering in the bright sunlight and the giant squid is basking in it happily. The grounds of Hogwarts are alive with the excited chattering of teenagers and their gossiping parents.

Draco and Hermione stand by the lake hand in hand. They are watching eagerly to see the boats emerge carrying the 7th year students who are graduating today. At the moment however, the lake is still.

"I can't believe she's leaving Hogwarts," Hermione says, "It feels like only yesterday that she left for school and now she's 17."

"Time flies love," Draco says, wrapping his arm around her, "She's had a good run of it. Prefect followed by Head Girl, the only downside is the Head Boy…"

Hermione grins, "Oh shut up, you're just upset that she's dating a Weasley."

Draco scoffs, "I find the Weasley's quite manageable these days. I just can't believe that she and Ross went from hating each other to…"

"Loving each other?" Hermione finishes. She chuckles, "I can understand it just fine. It's very similar to the way Ron and I were and that was because we liked each other. Don't get too worked up about it though, they're young. Look at how different things ended up being for Ron and I."

Draco hums thoughtfully, "That's true."

Hermione is about to glance back to the lake when she spots Harry and Sophie out of the corner of her eye. She smiles and waves them over to their spot by the lake, they are sitting on a blanket and enjoying the sunshine while they wait.

"We aren't too late are we?" Sophie asks, biting her lip and shifting the child on her hip, "Callie decided to have a tantrum before we left."

Hermione laughs, "It hasn't even started yet, don't worry," Hermione says, smiling at the little girl, "Hey Callie!"

Callie is short for Callidora and she is the Potter's youngest child. Her full name is Callidora Lily Potter but Sophie has always joked that this is the child that she actually got a say in naming. Callie has her Mothers hazel eyes and her Fathers jet black hair.

"Terrible two's," Sophie says with a roll of her eyes.

"I couldn't do all that now," Draco says, stretching out, "I'm too old to be dealing with babies."

"You're too old for everything apparently," Hermione retorts, "Is this because you turned 40 this year? Are you going to have a midlife crisis?"

"He's already had it," Harry snorts, "Jamie, stay over here!"

James Sirius Remus Potter is the Potter's eldest child and he has just tried to run towards the lake. He pouts, James has Harry's emerald eyes and is his Father's spitting image, apart from the mousy brown hair that he gets from Sophie.

"But I wanna swim in the lake!"

"Well I don't want you to drown so stay over here please," Harry says.

James sighs heavily and drags himself over to the blanket, "Fine."

"What's his excuse? Terrible 6's?"

"No, he's just a brat," Harry replies, ruffling James's hair.

Draco raises an eyebrow at him, "Anyway, how have I had a mid-life crisis?"

"You became Minister for Magic," Harry points out.

"How does that constitute a midlife crisis?" Draco asks in disbelief.

"Because you did it honestly and legally," Harry grins, "That's totally not your MO."

Hermione glares at Harry, "That was a really clever career move, not a midlife crisis. Everyone thinks Draco is a great minister, his reforms are really changing things around here!"

"I know," Harry chuckles, "I voted for him Mione, remember? I was just kidding."

Hermione humphs and Draco smiles, "Thanks for the ego boost though love."

Harry snorts in amusement and Hermione glares at her Husband. She looks back to Harry, "Is Ted coming today?"

"Course he is," Harry replies, "Cass is like a little sister to him, he said he and Vic might be a bit late because they're in France at the moment. But they'll be here."

"It's nice to see everyone here for Cassie," Hermione smiles, "Especially since she lost her Grandma this year."

Draco's hand tightens in hers and Hermione glances at him sympathetically, "It's nice that our family has extended quite so much."

Draco manages a small smile as he nods. He is still struggling with his Mothers sudden death after her unexpected battle with dragonpox. Hermione's thoughts drift as the boats slowly begin to make their way across the lake. As she cranes her neck to look for Cassie, she reflects on how much has changed since Cassie started school.

The big change is that Harry is married, of course. He and Sophie had gotten married the summer after their engagement and they have been together ever since. Their wedding had been an interesting affair, Neville had been the best man and Draco had been one of the ushers. Their tentative acquaintance had become a friendship rather quickly once Harry began spending time with Cassie regularly. Cassie and Scorpius had been involved too, as the flower girl and the pageboy.

Hermione smiles to herself, she loves Sophie and has become fast friends with her. She and Harry are perfect together. Hermione knows that they are far better together than she and Harry ever were. Draco is the Minister for Magic, having run a completely clean campaign led by Hermione herself. His reforms have been a huge success, especially one put forward by Harry called Lupin's Law which ensures fair treatment of werewolves in the workplace.

The boats reach the shore and the graduates spill out into the grounds where a little stage has been set up. They take their seats in alphabetical order in a long line and the Headmaster steps up to speak. Hermione smiles proudly, "I'm still so pleased that McGonagall named Neville as her replacement when she stepped down last year."

"I don't think Frank and Ali are," Harry says with an amused smile, "Having your Dad as Headmaster isn't exactly the coolest thing ever."

"Everyone loves Neville," Draco says offhandedly, "He's everyone's favourite teacher."

"Hey! What about me?" Harry objects, "The kids love me!"

Draco snorts, "They only think your cool because you're famous."

"And Defence against the Dark Arts is always a favourite subject for the boys in particular," Hermione adds.

"Although the older girls all fancy him," Sophie smirks.

Harry grins, "That's because I'm both handsome and talented, hence why the kids love me."

"Nah, most of them just think you're too big headed for your own good, Harry," A new voice says from behind them.

"Ted!" Harry beams, he stands up and hugs him, "I haven't seen you in weeks."

Teddy hugs him back, "I know, it's been a hectic few weeks," he admits.

Victoire smiles broadly and waves her hand at them, "Very hectic."

Harry's eyes light up, "You're engaged?"

Teddy nods, "I was going to tell you but I didn't know if you'd be able to keep it a secret and I wasn't convinced I was going to have the guts to go through with it either."

"That's so wonderful," Hermione says, hugging both of them, "How did he do it Vic?"

"At the top of the Eiffel tower," Victoire replies, grinning broadly.

"That's so romantic!" Sophie says.

Victoire laughs and says, "It was very romantic," as she sits down on the large blanket with them.

Harry looks a little tearful as he says, "Congratulations Ted. I can't deal with all of this pride today, one of my kids is getting married and another one is graduating from Hogwarts."

Teddy pats Harry on the back, "There, there old man. Now, did we miss anything?"

Hermione shakes her head and ushers Teddy into sitting down, "No, Neville has just officially started the graduation, they'll be calling her name soon."

"What does she even do?" James asks.

"She walks forward, takes the certificate, says thank you and gets her Hogwarts crest changed into a gold one because she finished school," Teddy replies.

James huffs, "That's _boring_."

"Everything is boring for you Jamie," Teddy says, grabbing the little boy and wrestling him into his lap, "Be a good boy and watch your sister, it's a big moment for her."

"Fine, but I want you to take me to Zonko's after."

"Oh, I'm sure I can handle that," Teddy says, ruffling the boy's hair.

Harry smiles at Teddy's interaction with his son and glances over at Hermione. She smiles back at him and they both watch the stage, they are only on the letter 'C' so Cassie is still quite far down the line.

Watching all of her extended family makes Hermione sigh, "I wish Scorp could be here today."

"He said he would try and make it in time to see Cass graduate," Draco says, glancing down at the gate, "But he couldn't turn down the chance to play for the England under 18's this weekend."

"I know, but I don't want him to miss this," Hermione says.

"He'll be here if he can be," Draco assures her.

On the stage Lucille Greengrass-Thomas steps up and a loud cheer comes from behind them. Hermione bites her lip in amusement as she sees Dean and Seamus sharing a blanket with a rather miffed looking Daphne. Astoria is sitting by her side, patting her on the back supportively while Georgie runs around them in circles.

Daphne catches Hermione's eye and rolls her eyes. Hermione chuckles to herself and looks away. Lucille steps off of the stage and goes to join her family, as each student does once they have received their certificate.

There is another wait until anyone that they know graduates so they fill the gap with small talk.

"When is your graduation, Ted?"

"Next week," Teddy replies, "But it's a closed graduation so you can't come, sorry."

"Is that to keep all of the Aurors secrets concealed?" Harry jokes.

Teddy laughs, "Probably, they wouldn't want anyone sniffing around the Auror training campus. I have two weeks off after graduation then I start my placement, my mentor is Uncle Ron so that's gonna be pretty awesome."

Victoire smiles proudly at him, "I just graduated too Uncle Harry, last week in fact. I'm a fully qualified Healer now, I just need to keep applying for jobs until someone decides to hire me."

"Someone will Vic, you're brilliant," Teddy says, wrapping his arm around his fiancé.

"Ooh Dad, it's Cassie's turn!" James calls, pointing to the stage.

Sure enough, Cassie has just walked up to Neville. He smiles proudly at her, hands her a certificate and converts her crest. She gives him a hug and steps off of the stage. She spots her family right away and hurries over to them, "I graduated!"

"With amazing grades because you are fabulous!" Hermione says, hugging her daughter, "I'm so proud of you."

"So am I sweetheart," Draco says, grabbing her from the other side so that they have a full on family group hug.

"I'm even a bit proud of you sis."

"Scorp!" Cassie says, breaking free from her parents to look at her brother. He is wearing an England strip and he's covered in mud, "You made it!"

Scorpius, who has just finished his 4th year, pushes his mop of blonde hair out of his eyes and grins, "Like I'd miss my big sister's graduation, congrats Cass."

Cassie hugs him tightly, "Thanks Scorp."

Harry smiles at his daughter, "I'm proud of you too sweety."

"Thanks Uncle Harry," Cassie says, hugging him too.

"We both are Cass," Sophie says, kissing her step-daughter on the cheek.

"I'm proud too!" James pipes up.

Cassie picks her little brother up with ease, "Aw, thank you Jamie!"

"Ugh, no kisses!" James objects, "Put me down!"

Cassie laughs as she puts him down and smiles around at her large, weird, wonderful family, "I'm pretty proud of myself to be honest. But I couldn't have gotten through it all without you Mum or without my Dads."

Draco and Harry both smile. They have become known as her two Dads, although she has still always called Harry her Uncle Harry. The news about Cassie actually being a Potter came out at the start of her 2nd year. It had been all over the papers and she had a hard time at school for a little while. Some Slytherins bullied her for it but she managed to find her way through that tough year, mostly thanks to her wonderful friends at school. It eventually stopped when Harry and Draco went up to the school together and gave McGonagall a piece of their minds. They actually found that they worked rather well together when they were on the same side.

Coincidentally, that was also when McGonagall asked Harry to interview for the position of Defence against the Dark Arts Professor and, for the first time ever, he had agreed. He loves teaching up at the school and has been doing it for a good few years now. However, he knows that James and Callie will hate it when they have to be taught by their Dad. Harry had decided after marrying Sophie and finding out that she was pregnant that the radio lifestyle really wasn't for him anymore.

Hermione was still doing it though, very successfully at that. She and Chelsea are stars on the visual radio, the audience love their friendship and their combined sense of humour. They have been doing a weekly panel show together for the past 6 years and it is still a huge hit. Chelsea got her life together after the QWC, having a positive female role model like Hermione to look up to had really helped. She and Oliver are still together, they got married 2 years ago and Chelsea is now very heavily pregnant with their first child. From all of the complaining she has done, Hermione is fairly sure that this first child will be the last child too.

"Ooh! Sal is getting his certificate!" Cassie says, flopping down onto the grass with her family.

Surely enough, on the stage Salvatore Turpin gets his certificate and heads over to his Mother. After him there are only three people left on the stage, all Weasley's.

"Ah, there's Louis," Victoire says, glancing around the lawn, "Where are Mum, Dad and Dom?"

"Over there," Draco says, pointing to the other side of the stage.

"I'll go over and break this news to them once Louis has graduated," Victoire says, chuckling as she looks down at the diamond ring on her finger.

"Good luck breaking that one to your Dad," Harry says.

Teddy rolls his eyes, "I'll be the one to break it to him."

"And you're gonna do it now," Victoire smirks. Louis has just joined his parents on the lawn.

Teddy looks at Harry, "Help."

Harry barks out a laugh, "Uh no, you are beyond help now boy. On you go, tell Bill you're marrying his oldest daughter."

Teddy glares at him, "Thanks for being so supportive," he says sarcastically as Victoire drags him away.

"Now it's Molly's turn," Cassie says, watching Molly smile proudly as she graduates. She rushes over to her parents and her younger sister after she has done so. They are sitting on the other side of the lawn close to Bill and Fleur. Ron is over there too with Alicia and their three younger children.

"And Ross," Cassie says with a goofy smile.

Draco tuts and Hermione hits him playfully, "Hush," she murmurs.

Ross gets his certificate and has his Hogwarts crest converted. He steps off of the stages and mouths '1 minute!' to his parents before running over to the blanket that Cassie is sharing with her family.

"He better not propose to her," Draco mutters under his breath as Cassie gets to her feet to greet her boyfriend.

"They're 17 Draco," Hermione mumbles, "He _won't_."

"Well done Ross!" Cassie says, hugging him tightly.

"Well done to you too," Ross beams, "Hey Mr and Mrs Malfoy, oh and Mr and Mrs Potter."

"Hi Ross," Hermione smiles.

Draco and Harry just narrow their eyes and nod at him. Ross swallows and mumbles, "It's pretty intimidating when you have two overprotective Dads, Cassie."

Cassie just laughs, "They won't hurt you-"

"We might," Harry cuts in.

Draco nods, "If you do something crazy like, oh I don't know, hurt our daughter-"

"- in any way-" Harry continues.

"- whatsoever," Draco finishes.

"Dad!" Cassie exclaims, looking at them both in exasperation.

"Anyway Ross," Hermione chuckles, "I think your Mum might be the one hurting you if you don't head over there."

Ross glances over at his parents, "Yeah good thinking. See you tonight at the after party Cassie?"

"Yeah, see your there," Cassie says, steeling a quick kiss goodbye.

"Ew!" James objects, "Dad? Did you see that? She kissed him! Gross! Girls are so gross!"

"That won't last long," Draco says, glancing at his son, "I remember when Scorp was like that."

Scorpius grins, "Girls are anything but gross."

Hermione rolls her eyes, "How did your game go?"

"We won," Scorpius smirks, he has flopped on the blanket and looks quite comfortable, "Obviously."

Draco shakes his head, "I can't quite believe how much you've changed Scorpius."

"From the timid little boy that everyone thought would be a Hufflepuff to the little heartbreaker you are now," Harry agrees with an amused smile, "I reckon you're the next Neville Longbottom."

"No, he hasn't killed any snakes yet," Neville says as he approaches the family.

"Yet," Scorpius grins, "So you have faith in me Uncle Nev."

"It's Headmaster Longbottom today Scorp."

Scorpius waves his hand nonchalantly, "It's always Uncle Nev to me, Uncle Nev."

Neville rolls his eyes, "As sassy as your Father, as always Scorpius. If you find any snakes to behead, then we can have that chat about you overshadowing me."

Scorpius grins broadly, "Just you wait, I'll find a snake and I'll cut its head off."

"Make sure you're wearing a cardigan for the full effect," Harry sniggers.

Draco snorts in amusement, "Anyway Neville, did you come over here for a reason or are you just missing our glorious company?"

"Well since none of my kids are graduating today I thought I'd congratulate my goddaughter," Neville smiles, "Well done Cassie, I'm really proud of you."

"Thanks Uncle Nev," Cassie beams.

"And I also have a job offer for you Harry," Neville admits sheepishly, "Filius told me this morning that he wants to step down as Deputy Headmaster after this year and I really need someone to fill the gap."

Harry's eyes widen, "You want _me_ to do it?"

Neville smiles slightly, "Well I need a sidekick, don't I?"

Draco lets out a loud laugh, "Oh I am loving this! How times have changed."

Hermione bites back a grin, "Oh behave yourself Draco."

Draco shakes his head in amusement, "Who would have thought when we left school that Harry Potter would be a measly Deputy Headmaster to the great and glorious Headmaster Longbottom. While me, Draco Malfoy, presides over the wizarding world as the most revolutionary and handsome Minister for Magic ever seen."

Sophie and Hermione look over his head at each other. They share an amused grin and smack him around the side of the head at the same time.

Harry sniggers, "Not that you're at all cocky about it."

"Not at all," Draco chuckles.

Cassie laughs, "You are Dad, being Minister is the most important thing ever to you."

"No, it isn't," Draco smiles, "You are, you and your crazy, reckless pain in the arse Gryffindor of a brother."

Hermione snorts, "I certainly never expected you to be sorted into Gryffindor Scorp, I always thought it would be the other way round but Cass ended up in Slytherin."

"Cass is sneakily smart though," Sophie says with a proud smile, "The perfect Slytherin-Ravenclaw combination in fact."

Cassie grins, "Thanks Sophie. Anyway, Scorpius is totally a Gryffindor, he's reckless and stupid."

"I'm stupidly reckless but I'm not stupid," Scorpius objects lazily.

The others laugh as Hermione shakes her head in exasperation. Cassie bats Scorpius out of the way so that she can sit on the blanket and this starts a mock wrestle to determine who gets the most comfortable spot of the blanket to sit on. James jumps on top of them both and joins in while Callie giggles and claps loudly.

Hermione glances around at Draco, Harry and Sophie's smiling faces, and a smile lights up her own face. She knows that she is blessed to have such a wonderful family, blood doesn't seem to mean anything anymore because they are all connected and they are all family.

Maybe it's a big dysfunctional family, but Hermione knows that she would never have it any other way.

 **THE END :)  
**

 _ **A/N: To those of you who stuck with this story, thanks so much! It's had a lot of bad reviews, so from my perspective it's the worst story I've ever written. Nothing else has quite gone down this badly on before this one. It's a bit gutting because I loved writing it and I loved the story it told, to me it's the most real story I have ever written because I'm married and I know how hard it can be when things get monotonous and boring. But at the same time, domesticity is something you only miss once it's gone. But anyway, enough of my rambling thoughts.**_

 _ **If there is at least one person out there who has enjoyed reading this story, then it's worth the bad reviews from those who didn't.**_

 _ **Thanks,**_

 _ **Holly**_

 _ **:)**_


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